


Until the Sun Falls

by lulubee1234



Category: Hunger Games (2012), Hunger Games Series - All Media Types, Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-01-16
Updated: 2013-11-13
Packaged: 2017-11-25 16:37:44
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 42,949
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/640937
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lulubee1234/pseuds/lulubee1234
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Sequel to 'I'll Look After You' you're not going to want to miss.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

This is peace, I thought to myself as I snuggled in my husband's arms with my beautiful baby girl asleep on my chest. We were watching the sunrise together from the hammock on the balcony of our new home, which was completed just last week. Peeta had dreamt about building this place before we had even met and now it was finally complete. The wind blew lightly through my hair as the golden rays breached the horizon and highlighted the cool, blue waves of the calm ocean that spanned for miles before us. I felt Peeta move my hair from my face and kiss my forehead warmly just as Hope began to stir lightly in my arms. At just over six weeks old, Hope was still waking us every couple of hours, but we had formed a routine that worked well for us. We would take turns with her in the night, and when she cried for her feeding around five or six we would both get up with her and watch the sunrise. This was my happy place, the three of us cocooned safely in each other's arms, starting the day together. It was the calm we had earned after the hectic flurry of changes we had experienced since the vote to abolish slavery over a month ago.

We have been keeping a low profile from the public but are still watching the news for updates on the activities of the freed slaves. This past month we have kept busy with the preparations for the planned community we will be developing for them on our land. We started by throwing out ideas about what the community should include, and have refined them enough that Peeta has drawn up plans for some of the essential buildings we will need for the community. Using the natural resources available, we will begin with building a medical clinic, a town hall and sleeping quarters for men and women. Luckily for us, there is an abundance of cedar and pine trees on the property that can be harvested to help build the areas. To help with the labor, Peeta has already been in contact with some men from the neighboring village who helped him work on the safe house. As long as Peeta writes detailed notes on the plans for them in American, they are more than capable of completing the work and are always happy for the jobs. The women of the village will also be helping us by making hammocks for the Panem refugees to sleep in when they first arrive. Those who won't be requiring medical attention can start out sleeping in the quarters while they work on obtaining a skill like farming or ranching. Once they have mastered a skill enough that they are able to function on their own, they can begin to apply for land grants to start their own farms, orchards, and stores. Little did I know, but the property that Peeta had invested in and built our home on was over two hundred and fifty acres of farmland, forest and coast line. There is more than enough property to go around, and the community will still be far enough away from our home mountain to keep the location private as well as secure.

In the distance we heard one of the roosters begin his morning wake up call. We had started breeding chickens on the property to give to the refugees for those who wanted to start their own farm. The chicks were adorable, but their fathers always made sure to disrupt my quiet time. "That's our signal, my love," Peeta whispered in my ear. In an effort to not hermit ourselves in our suite, we agreed that once the rooster crowed it was our sign to begin the day. Peeta took Hope from my arms and rested her against his shoulder as he helped me out of the hammock. She didn't even stir.

After getting dressed, we made our way downstairs for breakfast with our motley crew. Almost everyone was already awake and grabbing plates of food before beginning their busy schedules. We all have our own set of responsibilities around the "plantation" as Gale has taken to calling it, that keep us busy from sunrise until sundown. Most of the guys have been working on the construction and plowing for the area, while Peeta has taken on the role of project manager in addition to architect for the site. Little did I know, but that was actually what he was trained for in his former life - amazing how things work out. As for the girls and I, we work in shifts sharing all the chores that need to get done. Between the six of us we manage to take care of our developing livestock population, feed the troops, and gather supplies for the slave population's arrival.

"Look who's finally awake! Why, it's America's favorite family!" Damien quipped in an uppity accent as he finished setting the table. Damien had made a full recovery from his gunshot wound six weeks ago and, by unspoken agreement, we all took to pretending like it never happened.

"And good morning to you too, Damien," Peeta replied in the same accent Damien had just used. "And good morning to you all!" he continued on. I smirked at their early morning antics.

"Now give me my niece, you're constantly hiding her from me and I won't have it," Damien said, coming over and taking Hope out of Peeta's arms.

"Damien, you are more than welcome to spend some quality time with her between the hours of eleven p.m. and five a.m. No one is stopping you," I responded back playfully.

"Katniss, darling, she was your oopsie. So, as nature dictates, it is your responsibility as mother to wake up with her every night. While I, as the honored uncle, get to play with her when she's happy and hand her back over when she's not," he said as he cooed to the baby.

"Hope was not an oopsie!" I said back indignantly.

"She most definitely was, or has living in this mountain started to affect your memory?"

"I have to agree with Damien on this one, my love. She did come as a surprise," Peeta said to me quietly.

"She shouldn't ever be called an oopsie! She should be called an inevitable! It's only an oopsie if you're taking precautions to keep from getting pregnant. You two were at it like rabbits without a thought to any protection, hence an inevitable. If it wasn't for me, Katniss probably would have gone into labor without realizing she was pregnant!" Rue chimed in from the kitchen where she was juicing some oranges.

Everyone in the room started laughing. I turned beat red from embarrassment and was about to respond when I felt Peeta wrap his arms around my waist. "I would be mad, but it is one hundred percent the truth." he said, giving me a kiss on the cheek before pulling back so I could see his smile.

I wanted to argue, but he was right. So I just shrugged and made my way toward the breakfast buffet. At least Rue had made my favorite pancakes. I looked around our large dining room table and noticed one of my favorite faces missing from the group. "Where's Prim?" I asked.

"She wasn't feeling too well today so I told her she should go back to sleep and I would take care of her shift." Joanna replied not making eye contact with me. Oh no, not another bad day. This would make the third one this week. It's been over two months since Prim found out her boyfriend Rory had been killed. Although she was devastated in the beginning, I really thought she had come to terms with his death. Unfortunately, over the last month, she had pulled farther and farther into herself. The only time I saw her smile anymore was when she was holding baby Hope. I didn't want to address my fears at the table, so I dropped the conversation for the time being. I knew I needed to give Prim more time to grieve in her own way but it was difficult for me to stand helplessly by and watch her suffer alone.

"So what's on today's agenda?" Gale said veering attention away from Prim's absence. Out of everyone, Gale best understood what Prim was going through and went out of his way to protect her from others while she was in mourning. After all, Rory was Gale's younger brother.

"Well, it looks like we have enough lumber to finally start building the town hall today. I already alerted the Chief that we'll be using a bunch of his guys to help us with the heavy lifting until the first frost. It means paying them overtime, but it sure as hell beats us having to build the community alone. Besides, with most of the tribe working on the community, we should hopefully be ready to take in the first refugees by month's end," Peeta explained to the group in response to Gale's question.

The local people who had built the safe house for Peeta had a strong relationship with him and they trusted him to lead them efficiently and safely as they helped us build the community. The Hawayas, an indigenous population that lived in the bordering village to our land, were a fiercely private people who refused to take part in regular American society. Their Chief trusted Peeta, but with the exception of the sporadic construction jobs they took in the area, they had little to no contact with anyone outside their village. They had agreed to work for us only until the refugees arrived, and they asked to not be mentioned to the new arrivals. The village felt that the reason they were able to remain faithful to their beliefs was due to their ability to shut out the world and focus on their own society. Outsiders upset the balance of life, the Chief said. He believed it was imperative to be judicial with one's trust, because many outsiders would not respect their way of life.

"Is that how long we expect the entire community to take to build? Less than a month?" Annie asked surprised.

"If the weather holds up, then yes. It's not going to be the most luxurious of accommodations, but hopefully they will only be temporary for the refugees. If all goes according to plan they won't be staying in the dormitories too long and can start developing their own land parcels. The first group of slaves will be ready to move out here in two weeks. I asked for the extension because of how wary the locals are of outsiders. But it's not fair to make these people wait much longer to start their lives over again. God knows they've suffered enough," Peeta replied.

Stories of some of the abuses Panem slaves had been subjected to had circulated on the American media circuit, but Gale believed most of the more hideous crimes had still been kept hidden. I had often wondered if his opinion has anything to do with his girlfriend, Johanna. Johanna, like me, had been sent as a Panem slave to America, although she refuses to this day to mention the name of her master. She was able to escape back to Panem only to witness her family being murdered for her disobedience. Gale feels that most of the freed slaves fear retribution from their old masters, and that reason as well as many others have kept them quiet. Johanna refuses to voice an opinion on anything having to do with Panem or the freed slaves, so I suspect that perhaps Johanna was subjected to these hideous crimes Gale refers to. Those who have been brave enough to tell their story never say their name or who they worked for. I wonder if they are still worried about the law being overturned and being forced to return to their old masters.

"Well, we have a ton to do if we're to start getting new arrivals on the plantation at the end of the month." Annie replied back. Rue shook her head vigorously next to her. I just sighed.

"Can we please come up with a name for this place other than the plantation? The plantation just sounds so…"

"Ancient?" Thresh supplied.

"Elitist?" Damien joined in.

"Farm like?" Finnick said jokingly.

I laughed a little at their adjectives. "Well yes, but also, if we're building a community, it should have a name. People will live here, this will be their home. I'm pretty sure the geographic area alone would actually give us our own zip code, so it should have a real name. Don't you think?"

"How about Peeta's Place?" Damien offered up sarcastically.

"How about…" Peeta responded back by giving Damien the finger.

"Now, now boys. There are children at the table." Gale said laughingly. Everyone's eyes looked over at Annie and Finnick's little boy, Finn, and sleeping baby Hope who was now in Rue's lap.

"Seriously guys…," I said, trying to bring everyone's attention back to the matter at hand.

There was a cawing sound like that of a hawk and on some unspoken agreement the boys took a final bite of their breakfasts and got up.

"Where are you going?" I asked incredulously. I had just asked everyone a question and instead of getting a response they all started leaving.

"Baby, that's the Hayawa boy coming onto the property, that's their signal that they send out. The hawks are theirs. They had them fly ahead onto the property to let us know they're on their way," Peeta replied as he put on his jacket.

"Didn't they help build the house? They know where we live," I replied.

Peeta just shrugged at me in response. "It's just their way, it's a sign of respect. Naming the land is a great idea, love, why don't we all think about it and come up with ideas to share with everyone later? For now though, we have to get started on the community or no one's going to want to live in Katniss Gardens."

"Lord, that is a terrible name," I replied back. Peeta smiled at me and gave me a quick kiss goodbye on his way out. "I'll miss you, baby."

"Maybe if you're lucky your daughter and I will come bring over lunch to the site later," I said back to him.

"I'm counting on it," he said with a wink before he left the room. Damien and Gale followed Peeta out but not before they both messed my hair on the way out as a way of saying goodbye. Thresh just gave me a parting smile. After kissing Annie goodbye, Finnick just saluted the room full of women.

"Naming the property really is a good idea, Katniss," Annie said, picking up the conversation where we left off. "We'll think of something before everyone arrives."

"In the meantime, let's get started. If the Hawaya men are on their way then it won't be long until their wives show up and we have a lot to do before we start making more hammocks," Rue said.

"I really wish we could put actual beds in the sleeping quarters. It's bothering me that we don't have a better place to put them than in a dormitory setting," I said.

"It is what it is. They'll just be happy to have somewhere to sleep they can call theirs," Johanna piped in for the first time this morning. "Besides, I think you're underestimating how many people are going to be showing up after spending over two months in a displaced person's camp eating slop. At least our place will have actual walls and no barbed wire. And hammocks will incentivize them to work harder so they can get independent faster."

I was constantly taken aback by how bluntly and emotionlessly Johanna was able to talk about delicate subjects. These poor people had been tricked, abused, evicted and almost left for dead, and yet Johanna was able to cut right to the facts.

"What? Seriously? There's no reason to start popping anxiety pills over this, Katniss. You and Peeta are already being extremely generous, and you're sitting here saddened that you can't give them more? You're too damn nice. How many other American's do you see blowing away their inheritance and giving away pieces of their property to a bunch of fucking foreign teenagers who were stupid enough to trust their government?" All of our faces were blank with shock. Johanna took our silence to prove her point. "That's what I thought. I'll clean up and feed the leftovers to the pigs," she said, clearing the plates from the table.

Hope picked that moment to wake up and demand her breakfast. Rue brought her over to me and said, "Don't worry about Johanna. Anyways, she does have a point, look at how much you and Peeta are going to be giving these people as it is. I promise you the Panem refugees will be more than happy for the hammock." She kissed Hope's head before giving her to me.

I cuddled Hope close to me and cooed to my daughter as I watched Rue and Annie head toward the back door. "I'll feed the chickens if you feed the sheep. We can meet up at the dairy barn after that and tag team the milk station," Rue said to Annie.

"Hey, what about me?" I said listening to them divvy up the mornings chores without including me.

"You worry about feeding the next generation, mommy. We'll take care of feeding the livestock. I know you'll come find us when babe's got her fill," Annie responded back to me. She had Finn by the hand as they all walked out toward the meadow where we kept the animals. The animals had arrived a couple of weeks ago and we were still waiting on more to arrive from the large order of supplies we placed last month. In the meantime, we were keeping them happy until the new refugees could take over the responsibility. We figured that each refugee would get assigned an animal if they chose farming to be their area of interest, and they could take the animal with them when they moved to their own land parcel. Until that happened, though, there was always more work to be done.

I said goodbye to Johanna and took Hope with me to Prim's room. I hadn't wanted to draw attention to her absence so I waited until everyone else had left before checking up on her. The old habits from my childhood refused to die, I guess.

"Prim? Honey, are you awake?" I walked slowly into the pitch-black room trying to make out any movement. The thick curtains had been pulled tightly shut so that not an ounce of sunlight penetrated the room. There was an ominous feel to the space and I hated that such a dark aura surrounded my sister. I managed to make it over to her nightstand and turned on a lamp. Prim lay in her bed staring straight ahead, unblinking. Her beautiful eyes were rimmed with dark shadows, and her face was sunken and pale. I swallowed back a cry of sorrow at seeing my baby sister hurting like this.

"Hey, sweetie. It's time to get up. There's so much to do today, I'm going to need your help around the plantation," I said sweetly. Over the past couple of months Prim had developed a random pattern of good days and bad days. I never knew when the bad days would end, I only knew that the good days were too rare to provide much contrast. Today was clearly a bad day.

"Do you want to have some breakfast? There are pancakes." As overjoyed as I have been these past couple of months, I can't help but admit that Prim's sorrow has diluted much of the joy I have felt. I have everything. I have my loving husband, my darling daughter, and we are all happy, healthy, and free. We saved Prim from a fate worse than death, but at the price of forcing her to carry on with a broken heart. I wish I knew some way to help her pick the pieces back up, but the only answer I can come up with is time. Unfortunately I fear time has been making things worse for Prim instead of better. "Prim, please get up. I brought Hope to see you. I was just about to feed her and thought I would stop in with her."

When Prim still didn't answer me I moved to open the curtains some and let in some sunlight. I cracked open the window to allow in some fresh air and the distant sounds of crashing waves and flying seagulls helped chase away some of the shadows in the space. Prim didn't seem to notice so I sat down in her chaise and fed Hope while I gave Prim time to get up. When Hope was finished eating and Prim still hadn't stirred I decided to just accept that today would be a bad day. So I gave Prim a kiss on the head, shut off her bedside lamp and allowed the darkness to keep her company for another day. I simply did not know what else to do.

Peeta's Pov

Beads of sweat slowly made their way down my neck as I lifted the support beam to stand at a ninety-degree angle with the ground. We had made amazing progress this morning and I was optimistic that the town hall would be framed by sundown. There was still a lot of work to be done until then, but it was nice to see the fruits of your labor start to take shape.

"Alright, on the count of three everybody let go. 1..2..3.!"

The guys and I released the support beam on the count of three and looked up to see it locked securely in place between two of the tall columns.

"Good work everybody. We've made a ton of progress - why don't we take a twenty minute break for lunch?"

"Sounds good to me boss!" Finnick said, wiping a rag across his forehead. "You must have a sixth sense, because the girls literally just got here."

I looked over my shoulder and smiled to see Katniss walking toward me with a basket of food in her hands. I jogged over to her and set the basket down under a tree before grabbing her face in my hands and going in for a long kiss. I really did miss her, even after only a few hours. Looking at her in a low cut sundress with her hair tied in loose braids made me wish I gave the guys a half hour break so I could sneak off and fool around a little with my wife. The doctor said absolutely no sex for six weeks after Hope was born and the restraint has nearly killed me. Not that we haven't cheated some in our moments of weakness. Still, only a few more days left until the ban was lifted, and I was counting down every minute.

"Hey you. I missed you," I said, pulling away from her and caressing her cheek with my hand.

"I missed you too, sexy. If I knew you'd be out here working without a shirt on I would have opted to act as overseer for the construction. I still might actually," she said back to me playfully.

"You should have told me baby, you would have been a much better overseer then Julio over there. He's no fun to look at and he shouts at us to work faster," I said, nodding my head toward the overweight Hawaya tribesman who was the appointed overseer.

"Aw shucks. I guess I'll have to settle for stealing your time while you're on break then," she said giving me another kiss. God, I loved this woman. I heard some baby noises coming from Katniss' backpack and looked around her to see Hope flailing her baby arms.

"Hey baby girl! I'm so glad mommy brought you out," I said as I lifted Hope from her carrier. I gave my daughter a little kiss on the cheek before tucking her against me with my arm and taking Katniss' hand in mine. "I'm so glad you're both here. Come on, let's go make out in the shade, then maybe when we're both hot and bothered enough we can have some lunch and you can tell me about your morning." She gave off a throaty laugh as I'd intended and I stole another kiss before leading her over to a cluster of trees nearby.

"You only have fifteen minutes - try not to get her pregnant again!" Damien shouted from his spot with the crew. As per our usual I laughed then shook my head and gave him the finger.


	2. Chapter 2

I held Katniss in my arms under the shade of a low-hanging tree as I listened to her tell me about Prim. Every so often a stray tear would fall down her cheek and break a little piece of my heart. I loved this woman more then anything, and hated seeing her upset. As I wiped the tears from her cheeks, I mulled over in my head what would be best for the situation. I had come to care for Prim as my own sister. Although I have not yet gotten a chance to see the happy and bubbly Prim that Katniss so often refers to, I can tell that my sister-in-law’s intense grief is crippling her true personality. The glimpses of the real Prim that shine through in rare moments of happiness have become less and less common.

“Maybe we should consider having her speak to a doctor, love?” I said gently to Katniss. I loved my wife but she was not one to trust outsiders quickly. 

“Who would she possibly talk to about this when she won’t even talk to me?” 

“It could be that she loves you too much to talk about it with you. Maybe she needs an outsider, someone less connected to her, to feel comfortable?” I tried to offer. 

“Did you ever talk to someone about Thommy’s death? About that night?” I cringed, knowing my answer would not help my case. 

“They came to talk to me in the hospital, but I never opened up. I never trusted anyone enough to talk about it until you.” 

“But you had Damien to talk to,” Katniss said. I could see the parallel she was making in her mind and needed to make sure she understood the difference in situations. 

“Love, Damien was in no state to talk to me about that night. It was a completely different situation. The Damien you know…well, it took a long time for him to get back to that. Before you came into our lives, he was in worse shape than I was when you found me,” I said to her quietly as I pushed a stray hair from the side of her face. “The only thing we can do for Prim is send her to speak with someone who handles this kind of thing professionally, or let her come around on her own time. It’s your decision to make and I will support you with whatever decision that is. I will do anything I can for my family sweetheart, you know that.” I gave her a lingering kiss on the lips before slowly getting up to sit in front of her. 

“The lunch break is over. Do you want me to have one of the guys take over my shift? I can come back with you if you want.” 

“Of course I want you to. I’m selfish and wish I could keep you all to myself, but those guys need you so I’ll just have to keep busy until you get back,” she said with a small smile and a loving look. I bent down to give her another kiss and then moved to give Hope a little kiss on the head as well. My little angel was napping peacefully in her carrier, completely oblivious to the serious talk her mother and I had been having. I turned back to look at Katniss with a smile on my face. 

“All current worries aside, have I mentioned how inconceivably happy you both make me?” 

“You make me just as happy, love. Now go, I don’t want anyone accusing the boss of slacking on the job,” she said, getting up and giving me one last kiss. 

I reluctantly left her side, got back to work and ignored the nagging feeling that said I needed to be with her right now. She was right - I had other responsibilities, but I couldn’t help but wish they didn’t take me away from those I loved. 

\----------------------------------------------------------------

Katniss’s POV

I walked with Hope back toward the house. It was good to talk to Peeta about my fears, I just wish that we had more options available to help Prim. I stopped by the make-shift barn we had quickly erected to house the animals to see if I could be of use. It wasn’t just Peeta who had responsibilities, and I needed to get out of my head and get back to my own tasks. 

“What can I help with?” I said looking at Annie. 

“Nothing, I’m on my last round of milking, thank god. I’m telling you, Kat, when we ordered these things we did not think it through enough. I have another incredibly large order to place on just farming accessories alone. I have a newfound respect for our forefathers who did all of this sans technology. Milking cows is hard work, I tell you.” She stretched her back as she stood up off her stool. “Anyway, how are the guys doing? Have you checked in on Rue and the village women yet?” 

“Just came back from the work site. The guys are making a lot of progress, that much I can tell you. As for Rue, this was my first stop. If you’re done, we can drop off the last of the milk in storage and head that way together,” I said with a smile. 

“Sounds good to me. You know, once these people show up I am taking a nice, long vacation,” she replied with a smirk. Annie and I had developed a kind of easy friendship that had only gotten stronger since I had become a mother. She has been extremely helpful in answering all of my questions about Hope, my body, and dealing with life as a new mother. I had been really lucky to have her around when my own mother was not only far away but also in no position to answer those questions. 

“I’m with you on that one. I can’t wait to have some quiet time to myself when this community is up and running. In the meantime, we better haul ass because we have about a million things to do until then. ”

The rest of the afternoon rushed by in a flurry of activity. Between hammock making, sheep herding, winter vegetable planting, and baby feedings, I was surprised to look up and see the sun had set and the men were walking in sweaty and tired from their work day. Peeta came over to me and kissed my head, “Come with me?” he whispered in my ear so no one could hear. I gave him a short nod and looked over to see Rue asleep on the couch with Hope. Everyone else was quietly going about unwinding, so we ducked down the hall and headed to our suite. Wordlessly, Peeta moved us into the bathroom and turned on the shower before turning to me with that intense look in his eyes I had come to love. He undressed us slowly, never breaking eye contact with me, before he pushed us directly under the spray of water. The moment our lips met we melted together. Peeta ran his hands along my body, taking his time and savoring our connection. He brought me flush against him before connecting us completely. I had missed this physical link while my body slowly recovered, but the waiting was finally over. He made love to me slowly and reverently until our cries of elation came to a crescendo so strong that tears mixed with the water running down our skin. He wouldn’t let me go even once the shower had been shut off and our bodies had been dried. He sat down with me on our bed and took my face between both of his hands.

“This was supposed to weaken. This all-consuming need to be with you was supposed to dull by this point, become manageable at the very least. It hasn’t. Katniss, I don’t know what to do. When you walk away from me my body hurts from not following you. I love you so much, you’re my weakness, my strength… everything. Today was unbearable, being far away from the two of you and not being able to look over and see if you’re both okay. I hated it,” he whispered as he rested his forehead against mine. 

“I know love, I know. I didn’t like being away from you either. We’ll figure something out alright?” I whispered back, taking his lips in a gentle kiss. 

“Is this normal? Annie and Finnick seem fine. Everyone else seems fine after not seeing his or her partner for the day. Is it just us?” 

“I don’t know, honey, but that doesn’t matter to me. We’re us and we have gone through different things that other couples have no idea about. I don’t care if it’s normal, I wouldn’t change any of it.” He nodded his head against mine before bringing me in for a tight hug. 

“What brought this on today, baby? I know we haven’t spent much time apart in awhile, but we saw each other at lunch…” 

“I don’t know. When I watched you walk away from me I had this feeling like, if I wasn’t going to go with you I would lose you. I can’t explain it. I know you probably think I’m nuts.”

“I don’t. I’ve felt that way quite a few times before, too,” I whispered to him. 

“I’m terrified of things changing. I know we’re doing the right thing, building this, inviting those with nothing to take a chance at a new beginning, but… I’m really terrified. Once they’re here, I will have nowhere else to hide us long-term. If something happens…we’ll be forced to leave our home behind.” 

“I know baby, I’m scared too. We have so much to lose now, it’s not a comfortable feeling.” 

“I think we should keep the mountain a secret from the new community.” 

“What do you mean?” 

“I mean, I think as a way of protecting ourselves, no one should know the location of the real house. We’ll use another tunnel and build a false entrance that we use as a public one. What do you think?” 

“I think that’s a smart decision. We have too much to lose to stop taking precautions now.” I kissed his cheek before burying my face into the crook of his neck. We held each other like that for a few more minutes before we agreed to get dressed. As reluctant as I was to let go of him, the rest of our lives called to us. 

We walked back toward the main room where we knew everyone would be congregating for dinner. I was lost in thought and didn’t notice Peeta veer us down another hall towards Prim’s room. 

“I wanted to check in on her, I hope that’s okay.” Peeta said to me quietly. 

I loved how much he cared about my sister. He clearly loved her, and although they didn’t have a close relationship, I knew that once Prim healed that would rapidly change. They were too similar in spirit to not mesh. Peeta knocked on the door lightly before coming into the room. The air had grown cool now that twilight had set in and I moved into the room quickly to close the window I had opened this morning. 

“Hey, sunshine. You have a nice, lazy day in bed?” Peeta said, coming over to sit on the edge of the mattress. Prim responded with a slight rising of the corner of her mouth that I knew was intended as a smile. “Well listen, you take as many days as you need. We know when you’re ready to get up you will, alright?” Peeta said, moving some of the hair out of her face like he would a small child. 

“Prim, is there anything I can get for you? Do you want to come with us to dinner?” I said from the corner of the room. 

She didn’t even shift to look at me. That hurt. It was hard seeing her like this, the way I had seen my mom for so many mornings. I felt the anger boiling inside of me thinking about Prim ending up like our mother. In some home, not knowing what day it was, not bothering to come out of her comatose world to find out. When Prim didn’t respond to my questions I could feel myself losing patience quickly. 

“Let’s go, Peeta, she’s clearly tired and wants time to herself,” I said quickly. The truth is, I didn’t know what Prim wanted or needed right now. I just knew I needed to leave before I said something to her I would regret. 

“How about we bring Hope in to say goodnight when we bring you up a dinner tray, would you like that?” Peeta said, bringing some enthusiasm to his voice. 

I was surprised to see Prim make eye contact with him and nod. She swallowed before speaking, “Thanks Peeta, I would like that.” Her voice was low and scratchy from lack of use, but just hearing her speak lifted my spirits and made me take a sigh of relief. We left her room and made our way toward dinner, feeling surprisingly better about our situation. 

We laughed, we ate, and we talked about nonsense. The worries of yesterday and today were all but forgotten as I was able to look around at how lucky I was to have everyone close to me safe. Peeta brought up the idea for the fake entrance to the main house and Finnick suggested that if they were already going out of their way to make it look like a house why not make it a townhome of sorts. The main house would still be where we all gathered for meals, etc., but this way Finnick and Annie would have a home of their own. With everyone on board with the planned safety precautions we dispersed from the table, everybody calling it an early night. Before going to bed we stopped by Prim’s room as promised and had her say goodnight to baby Hope. 

She was surprisingly alert and calm as she talked to us and let Hope squeeze her finger with her fist. She even ate some soup, which made me happy. She gave Hope a kiss and even hugged me before saying goodnight. As I walked back to my bedroom with Peeta I felt more optimistic about Prim’s situation. Sure she had bad days, but she wasn’t turning into my mother. I could see that. She would pull through. That knowledge left a smile on my face and my sleep free from nightmares that night. 

The next morning I woke up to see the sun shining high in the sky and couldn’t believe how long I had overslept. Peeta wasn’t by my side and Hope wasn’t in her little bed so I assumed he had gotten up with her and let me sleep in. I stretched lazily on the bed, smiling at how relaxed and well-rested I felt. I found a little note on my side table from Peeta. 

You were sleeping so peacefully I couldn’t bear to wake you. I took Hope with me to the site for some daddy/daughter bonding time. She’s fed and changed so you can take the morning off. I love you, angel. 

I smiled at the note and the little gift Peeta gave me. A whole morning to sleep in to myself, I didn’t even know what to do. Just then, the door to my room burst open and Rue came in pale-faced and serious.

“Katniss, you need to come right now. It’s Prim.”


	3. Chapter 3

Two weeks earlier…

18 minutes until 7 o'clock. Only 18 minutes until it was Hope's bed time and I could put her down to rest for the night. 18 minutes until Peeta and I could excuse ourselves from dinner and finally have mind blowing, earth shattering, crazy sex again.

I sat at dinner trying to keep my breathing normal. Peeta was talking animatedly to Finnick from across the table while his fingers secretly circled my clit under the table. It had been 42 long, sexually tense days since Peeta had last fucked me. Not to say we hadn't made love, because we had. It had just been over six weeks since we had real sex and that's what I wanted after six weeks of no penetration. I wanted to be fucked long and hard by the man sitting next to me. His blonde curls tossed and his stunning blue eyes, dark and dangerous, as he talked dirty to me.

Sure we had "fooled around" some, made love even, but the doctor had given us strict orders before I left the hospital that we could cause severe damage if we took up an active sex life too soon after natural child birth. So we were "chaste," well chaste for us at least. The first few weeks of nothing but oral sex and heavy petting were still blissful, but after the first week I missed having him inside me. I had even confronted Annie on a few occasions to try to see if, as a wife, mother and nurse, she would be more lenient then my doctor had been.

"You're sure I need to wait the full six weeks? Positive?"

Annie laughed out loud. "Kat, believe me I get it. I've been there, and if what I hear from Rue is even close to the truth this is probably a huge challenge for both of you, but I'm serious, you can really hurt yourself. It's not in any of our best interests to go back to the hospital because you guys can't keep it in your pants for a few more weeks."

I grumbled to myself as I walked away. You'd think that after the hundreds of thousands of years women have been doing this they would have at least figured out how to make that area heal faster.

The wait was finally over and it was clear from Peeta's promiscuous touch that he was well aware of that fact. I stifled a moan with a large burst of air when he put direct pressure on my clit. No one seemed to notice as the girls giggled at some little joke Annie had just told. When she caught my eye I could tell she knew what was on my mind and I quickly looked away.

Annie had given me a small follow up exam earlier this afternoon in the infirmary while little Finn took his nap and Peeta and the boys worked in the community. When Annie told me I was completely healed I bit my lip to keep from shouting out my happiness.

"We'll take Hope for the night for you guys if you'd like."

Annie had offered after she finished the exam and told me I could get dressed. I caught her off guard with a hug so strong that we both almost toppled over.

11 minutes… and Peeta's fingers were showing no signs of slowing their motions in my underwear. I brought my water glass to my mouth as I pretended to listen avidly to the table conversation.

"What do you think about that, Katniss?" Thresh asked me.

I had no idea what they had been talking about and Peeta decided to choose that exact moment to stick his finger inside me.

I took a sip of water trying to stifle a moan and pretend like I hadn't heard Thresh's question. It had clearly not worked well enough because Thresh not only waited for a reply but shot me a strange look before he continued the conversation with Damien.

This was the first time Peeta had ever played with me in front of our friends. I had to admit that the secrecy of it was a turn on I hadn't expected. Peeta inserted a second finger and curled the two of them against me. I bit the inside of my lip so hard to keep from crying out that I drew blood.

I needed to get back to our room, otherwise I was going to be climaxing at the table. 9 minutes… Nine minutes was good enough for me. Just as I was about to get up Peeta leaned over and whispered in my ear.

"You have such a wet, sweet pussy, my little wife. Your walls are milking my fingers so hungrily. I can't wait until it's finally my dick." He finished his sentence by rubbing his thumb over my clit in tandem to his finger fucking. The intense pleasure ripped through me and I gripped his upper thigh hard as I came.

He removed his fingers and said to me in a husky voice, "Now, why don't you quietly excuse yourself and wait for me to come fuck you in a few minutes." He said it as if he was telling me some private joke, and I was shocked to see that no one at the table had noticed what just happened.

All I could manage was a nod, as my breathing was too heavy and made it hard to speak. I had just had an orgasm at the kitchen table in front of my entire group of family and friends and I was already turned on and ready to go again. I could see the smug look on Peeta's face and decided to leave him with a parting gift.

Just before I stood up from the table I grabbed the bulge in Peeta's pants and cupped it, squeezing gently. "I'm not feeling too well, please excuse me," I said to the group without letting on how affected I was. As I turned I was able to catch the look of shock and arousal on Peeta's face. I barely acknowledged everyone's wishes to feel better as I sauntered off.

"Poor Kat, she was kind of out of it tonight, you could tell," Thresh said to Finnick. I listened as I heard a chair scrape on the floor.

"Yeah, I should go check on her," I heard Peeta say clumsily as he got up. "Annie, do you mind watching Hope for a few minutes?"

"Of course, Peeta, you go make sure Katniss is feeling better. I'll feed Hope and put her to bed," Annie replied quickly. I stifled a laugh as I thought about how Peeta's face must look to have Annie take care of Hope for the night. I hadn't had a chance to tell him that she had offered.

When he rounded the corner into the hall I didn't have time to think before he grabbed me and pushed me up against the wall. His body was flush with mine and his arms trapped me where I stood. The moment was charged with a sexual tension I hadn't felt since before the baby, and I found myself desperate to get closer to him. Peeta's large hands cupped my ass and lifted me against him so that I could feel his need for me through our clothing.

His arms lifted me and I immediately wrapped my legs around his waist as I let his body act as an anchor for mine. "I've missed this so much. I hope you're not planning on sleeping tonight, Mrs. Mellark, because I have a lot of pent up energy stored for you," Peeta breathed against my mouth.

I let out a small whimper as his lips found my throat. I felt us moving but was too overcome with sexual need to pay much attention to where we were going. I heard a door open and my back immediately press against a wall again, knocking something to the floor. I opened my eyes enough to see that we were not in our bedroom as I had expected, but in the storage closet in the hall.

"What..?" I questioned although it came out more as a moan.

"I can't wait long enough to get to our room before I get inside you. I need you right now," Peeta said as he bit down on my ear. I couldn't contain the sharp moan the combination of his words and his touch elicited from me. We frantically fumbled for the fastenings on his pants, working quickly to free him. Without releasing me from his hold Peeta tore at my clothes until he managed to remove enough layers to plunge deep inside me.

The sweet friction of finally being rejoined with him was so strong that tears flooded my eyes. "Holy shit, Kat, you feel amazing." He moaned as his hands grasped my hips even harder. He began to pound into me with an intensity that had me crying his name. He covered my mouth with his to stifle my shouts of ecstasy but didn't slow his pace. Every thick, sweet glide of him into my aching center brought me closer to the shattering climax I knew awaited me. Higher and higher I climbed as random possessions began to fall on us from his heavy thrusting against the shelf wall.

"Peeta, please. Oh god, please..." I was shaking with the need for release and had succumbed to begging him for the euphoria only he could give me. In response he pinched my nipple hard and the pleasure pain pushed me over the edge into oblivion. My entire body stiffened and my center contracted around his hard cock but Peeta continued to push into me, drawing out every last moment of my release. With one final thrust he began to shake with the force of his own release, his hands grasping me so firmly that I knew I would have bruises in the morning.

When we both recovered enough to look at one another I could see the hunger still ever present in his eyes. "Did I hurt you?" he said without breaking eye contact. I bent my head down to kiss him. "Definitely not. I would say hurt is the exact opposite of what you just managed."

"Thank god, because there is no way I am going to be able to get enough of you tonight," he said, returning my earlier kiss. The shift in his body made it clear that he was ready to go again so soon after our coupling.

"Well then what are you waiting for, Mr. Mellark?" I purred close to his ear.

"We have a little problem," he said, looking down at my naked body joined with his. "The closet seemed like a great solution earlier, but considering the fact that we live with over a half a dozen other people and I literally just ripped your clothes off I am trying to think of a creative way to get you to our room without everyone knowing what we were just up to."

He had a point. I looked around the dim closet and noticed a throw that had fallen off one of the shelves. "Well, it's not going to keep anyone from knowing what we were up to, but if we move fast we may be able to avoid any questioning," I said as I gestured to the discarded blanket.

"Well then, I guess we better move fast," Peeta replied, picking up the throw and tossing it around me.

My body buzzed from the unbelievable stimulation I had experienced over the past eight hours with Peeta. With great effort I moved my head enough so I could see Peeta out of the corner of my eye. His muscular body shone with the sweat of our love making and his blonde hair was pressed against his forehead after hours of exertion.

"I know it's been awhile, but I swear we have never done that before," I said hoarsely, my voice almost gone from the countless screaming orgasms I had experienced throughout the night. Peeta had placed me in various unique positions that had me crying out over and over while he resisted orgasm.

"It's called Tantra or Tantric sex. I had been going through some old texts and articles on the monitor on the nights that I had trouble sleeping and came across it. The practice was established almost a thousand years ago to bring two partners closer together sexually and spiritually. I was fascinated by it and continued to learn more during our wait," he explained, almost just as breathless and hoarse as I was.

"It's amazing. How did you... How did you hold out so long?" I whispered, my breathing still harsh.

"It wasn't easy, and I can't promise I can do that every time. It took a lot of concentration and control, that's for sure. But it was worth it to watch you come for me over and over like that….and I have to admit the end was…unbelievable.. like nothing I have ever experienced," he admitted, as his fingers caressed the palm of my hand. The light touch was soothing and expressed the perfection of the moment as we laid together in bliss. "And that's something, considering I thought making love with you couldn't get any better."

He brought his arm slowly around me and pulled my body closer to his. His fingers caressed my back as we laid idly against each other. I felt the heaviness in my lids and realized we had stayed up all night having wild, tantric sex. Of all the daydreams and fantasies I had had about this night over the past month and a half, tonight they had been exceeded. As I drifted off into sleep I heard Peeta whisper in my ear, "Sleep now, love, so tomorrow I can teach you some more new things."


	4. Chapter 4

I held Katniss in my arms under the shade of a low-hanging tree as I listened to her tell me about Prim. Every so often a stray tear would fall down her cheek and break a little piece of my heart. I loved this woman more then anything, and hated seeing her upset. As I wiped the tears from her cheeks, I mulled over in my head what would be best for the situation. I had come to care for Prim as my own sister. Although I have not yet gotten a chance to see the happy and bubbly Prim that Katniss so often refers to, I can tell that my sister-in-law's intense grief is crippling her true personality. The glimpses of the real Prim that shine through in rare moments of happiness have become less and less common.

"Maybe we should consider having her speak to a doctor, love?" I said gently to Katniss. I loved my wife but she was not one to trust outsiders quickly.

"Who would she possibly talk to about this when she won't even talk to me?"

"It could be that she loves you too much to talk about it with you. Maybe she needs an outsider, someone less connected to her, to feel comfortable?" I tried to offer.

"Did you ever talk to someone about Thommy's death? About that night?" I cringed, knowing my answer would not help my case.

"They came to talk to me in the hospital, but I never opened up. I never trusted anyone enough to talk about it until you."

"But you had Damien to talk to," Katniss said. I could see the parallel she was making in her mind and needed to make sure she understood the difference in situations.

"Love, Damien was in no state to talk to me about that night. It was a completely different situation. The Damien you know…well, it took a long time for him to get back to that. Before you came into our lives, he was in worse shape than I was when you found me," I said to her quietly as I pushed a stray hair from the side of her face. "The only thing we can do for Prim is send her to speak with someone who handles this kind of thing professionally, or let her come around on her own time. It's your decision to make and I will support you with whatever decision that is. I will do anything I can for my family sweetheart, you know that." I gave her a lingering kiss on the lips before slowly getting up to sit in front of her.

"The lunch break is over. Do you want me to have one of the guys take over my shift? I can come back with you if you want."

"Of course I want you to. I'm selfish and wish I could keep you all to myself, but those guys need you so I'll just have to keep busy until you get back," she said with a small smile and a loving look. I bent down to give her another kiss and then moved to give Hope a little kiss on the head as well. My little angel was napping peacefully in her carrier, completely oblivious to the serious talk her mother and I had been having. I turned back to look at Katniss with a smile on my face.

"All current worries aside, have I mentioned how inconceivably happy you both make me?"

"You make me just as happy, love. Now go, I don't want anyone accusing the boss of slacking on the job," she said, getting up and giving me one last kiss.

I reluctantly left her side, got back to work and ignored the nagging feeling that said I needed to be with her right now. She was right - I had other responsibilities, but I couldn't help but wish they didn't take me away from those I loved.

Katniss's POV

I walked with Hope back toward the house. It was good to talk to Peeta about my fears, I just wish that we had more options available to help Prim. I stopped by the make-shift barn we had quickly erected to house the animals to see if I could be of use. It wasn't just Peeta who had responsibilities, and I needed to get out of my head and get back to my own tasks.

"What can I help with?" I said looking at Annie.

"Nothing, I'm on my last round of milking, thank god. I'm telling you, Kat, when we ordered these things we did not think it through enough. I have another incredibly large order to place on just farming accessories alone. I have a newfound respect for our forefathers who did all of this sans technology. Milking cows is hard work, I tell you." She stretched her back as she stood up off her stool. "Anyway, how are the guys doing? Have you checked in on Rue and the village women yet?"

"Just came back from the work site. The guys are making a lot of progress, that much I can tell you. As for Rue, this was my first stop. If you're done, we can drop off the last of the milk in storage and head that way together," I said with a smile.

"Sounds good to me. You know, once these people show up I am taking a nice, long vacation," she replied with a smirk. Annie and I had developed a kind of easy friendship that had only gotten stronger since I had become a mother. She has been extremely helpful in answering all of my questions about Hope, my body, and dealing with life as a new mother. I had been really lucky to have her around when my own mother was not only far away but also in no position to answer those questions.

"I'm with you on that one. I can't wait to have some quiet time to myself when this community is up and running. In the meantime, we better haul ass because we have about a million things to do until then. "

The rest of the afternoon rushed by in a flurry of activity. Between hammock making, sheep herding, winter vegetable planting, and baby feedings, I was surprised to look up and see the sun had set and the men were walking in sweaty and tired from their work day. Peeta came over to me and kissed my head, "Come with me?" he whispered in my ear so no one could hear. I gave him a short nod and looked over to see Rue asleep on the couch with Hope. Everyone else was quietly going about unwinding, so we ducked down the hall and headed to our suite. Wordlessly, Peeta moved us into the bathroom and turned on the shower before turning to me with that intense look in his eyes I had come to love. He undressed us slowly, never breaking eye contact with me, before he pushed us directly under the spray of water. The moment our lips met we melted together. Peeta ran his hands along my body, taking his time and savoring our connection. He brought me flush against him before connecting us completely. I had missed this physical link while my body slowly recovered, but the waiting was finally over. He made love to me slowly and reverently until our cries of elation came to a crescendo so strong that tears mixed with the water running down our skin. He wouldn't let me go even once the shower had been shut off and our bodies had been dried. He sat down with me on our bed and took my face between both of his hands.

"This was supposed to weaken. This all-consuming need to be with you was supposed to dull by this point, become manageable at the very least. It hasn't. Katniss, I don't know what to do. When you walk away from me my body hurts from not following you. I love you so much, you're my weakness, my strength… everything. Today was unbearable, being far away from the two of you and not being able to look over and see if you're both okay. I hated it," he whispered as he rested his forehead against mine.

"I know love, I know. I didn't like being away from you either. We'll figure something out alright?" I whispered back, taking his lips in a gentle kiss.

"Is this normal? Annie and Finnick seem fine. Everyone else seems fine after not seeing his or her partner for the day. Is it just us?"

"I don't know, honey, but that doesn't matter to me. We're us and we have gone through different things that other couples have no idea about. I don't care if it's normal, I wouldn't change any of it." He nodded his head against mine before bringing me in for a tight hug.

"What brought this on today, baby? I know we haven't spent much time apart in awhile, but we saw each other at lunch…"

"I don't know. When I watched you walk away from me I had this feeling like, if I wasn't going to go with you I would lose you. I can't explain it. I know you probably think I'm nuts."

"I don't. I've felt that way quite a few times before, too," I whispered to him.

"I'm terrified of things changing. I know we're doing the right thing, building this, inviting those with nothing to take a chance at a new beginning, but… I'm really terrified. Once they're here, I will have nowhere else to hide us long-term. If something happens…we'll be forced to leave our home behind."

"I know baby, I'm scared too. We have so much to lose now, it's not a comfortable feeling."

"I think we should keep the mountain a secret from the new community."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, I think as a way of protecting ourselves, no one should know the location of the real house. We'll use another tunnel and build a false entrance that we use as a public one. What do you think?"

"I think that's a smart decision. We have too much to lose to stop taking precautions now." I kissed his cheek before burying my face into the crook of his neck. We held each other like that for a few more minutes before we agreed to get dressed. As reluctant as I was to let go of him, the rest of our lives called to us.

We walked back toward the main room where we knew everyone would be congregating for dinner. I was lost in thought and didn't notice Peeta veer us down another hall towards Prim's room.

"I wanted to check in on her, I hope that's okay." Peeta said to me quietly.

I loved how much he cared about my sister. He clearly loved her, and although they didn't have a close relationship, I knew that once Prim healed that would rapidly change. They were too similar in spirit to not mesh. Peeta knocked on the door lightly before coming into the room. The air had grown cool now that twilight had set in and I moved into the room quickly to close the window I had opened this morning.

"Hey, sunshine. You have a nice, lazy day in bed?" Peeta said, coming over to sit on the edge of the mattress. Prim responded with a slight rising of the corner of her mouth that I knew was intended as a smile. "Well listen, you take as many days as you need. We know when you're ready to get up you will, alright?" Peeta said, moving some of the hair out of her face like he would a small child.

"Prim, is there anything I can get for you? Do you want to come with us to dinner?" I said from the corner of the room.

She didn't even shift to look at me. That hurt. It was hard seeing her like this, the way I had seen my mom for so many mornings. I felt the anger boiling inside of me thinking about Prim ending up like our mother. In some home, not knowing what day it was, not bothering to come out of her comatose world to find out. When Prim didn't respond to my questions I could feel myself losing patience quickly.

"Let's go, Peeta, she's clearly tired and wants time to herself," I said quickly. The truth is, I didn't know what Prim wanted or needed right now. I just knew I needed to leave before I said something to her I would regret.

"How about we bring Hope in to say goodnight when we bring you up a dinner tray, would you like that?" Peeta said, bringing some enthusiasm to his voice.

I was surprised to see Prim make eye contact with him and nod. She swallowed before speaking, "Thanks Peeta, I would like that." Her voice was low and scratchy from lack of use, but just hearing her speak lifted my spirits and made me take a sigh of relief. We left her room and made our way toward dinner, feeling surprisingly better about our situation.

We laughed, we ate, and we talked about nonsense. The worries of yesterday and today were all but forgotten as I was able to look around at how lucky I was to have everyone close to me safe. Peeta brought up the idea for the fake entrance to the main house and Finnick suggested that if they were already going out of their way to make it look like a house why not make it a townhome of sorts. The main house would still be where we all gathered for meals, etc., but this way Finnick and Annie would have a home of their own. With everyone on board with the planned safety precautions we dispersed from the table, everybody calling it an early night. Before going to bed we stopped by Prim's room as promised and had her say goodnight to baby Hope.

She was surprisingly alert and calm as she talked to us and let Hope squeeze her finger with her fist. She even ate some soup, which made me happy. She gave Hope a kiss and even hugged me before saying goodnight. As I walked back to my bedroom with Peeta I felt more optimistic about Prim's situation. Sure she had bad days, but she wasn't turning into my mother. I could see that. She would pull through. That knowledge left a smile on my face and my sleep free from nightmares that night.

The next morning I woke up to see the sun shining high in the sky and couldn't believe how long I had overslept. Peeta wasn't by my side and Hope wasn't in her little bed so I assumed he had gotten up with her and let me sleep in. I stretched lazily on the bed, smiling at how relaxed and well-rested I felt. I found a little note on my side table from Peeta.

You were sleeping so peacefully I couldn't bear to wake you. I took Hope with me to the site for some daddy/daughter bonding time. She's fed and changed so you can take the morning off. I love you, angel.

I smiled at the note and the little gift Peeta gave me. A whole morning to sleep in to myself, I didn't even know what to do. Just then, the door to my room burst open and Rue came in pale-faced and serious.

"Katniss, you need to come right now. It's Prim."


	5. Chapter 5

Peeta's POV

I found her slumped in the chair next to the hospital bed. Her eyes were red and puffy, her hair mussed from running her hands through it nervously. She didn't even look up when I came in. The light beeping alerted me to the fact that my sister-in-law was stable and would live another day. When I reached Katniss she still wouldn't meet my eyes. I wordlessly picked her up and carried her with me over to the small couch in the corner of the room and just held her. When she started to cry I pulled her tighter to me; it was all I could do. Ever since they came to get me from the work site I had been in a state of panic. Now that I was holding Katniss in my arms, I was finally able to breathe again.

Apparently, after breakfast Gale had sent Johanna to go check on Prim. While we were all out working, Prim had come to a decision that she didn't want to live anymore. She had gone into our bathroom at some point and grabbed Katniss' bottle of pain medication that the doctor had prescribed her after giving birth. She must have also grabbed a bottle of scotch sometime during the night. Johanna found Prim lying unconscious on her bathroom floor in a puddle of vomit. Not worrying about the consequences, Johanna had called an ambulance without waiting to notify any of us. Her spur of the moment decision had given the location of the main house away, putting all of us in danger, and yet I will forever be in her debt. If she had waited even a few minutes longer, who knows what may have happened differently. The doctors called Prim's attempted suicide a self-poisoning, and told me it was a common method girls her age used to end their lives. Apparently they have seen a large influx of these cases in freed Panem slaves, particularly women. I didn't feel the need to explain to the doctor my sister-in-law's life story, so once I had the facts I cut him off and demanded he take me to her room.

I listened to Katniss' wracking sobs, knowing that before I got here she probably hadn't let herself cry. That was the thing with Katniss - she was great at keeping it together until someone else could shoulder the burden, then she was able to let go of it. We sat like that for a few hours. Katniss fell asleep on me around the same time her tears finally slowed. Out of the corner of my eye I was able to watch nurses come in and out to adjust monitors and administer medications to Prim. This must have happened at least three or four times before Prim finally opened her bloodshot eyes and looked around. Katniss was still passed out on the couch, her head on my lap. I was about to wake her when I saw Prim's eyes fill with panic; she shook her head no, telling me not to wake her sister. I let Katniss continue to sleep and moved over to Prim's side, taking her hand in mine.

"Hey slugger," I said gently by way of greeting. Prim's eyes filled up with tears and I could see her biting her lip to keep the emotions in.

"You can let it out, sweetie," I said to her. She just shook her head at me.

"No, really, you can. Something I realized when I was sitting here was that I hadn't seen you cry since you first found out about everything. Did you know that Katniss wouldn't let herself fall apart until I was holding her? I think it has something to do with making sure that if she falls apart, I'll be there to put her back together. I can be that for you too, Prim. If you need someone, I'm here. No judgment. You can let it out."

When I squeezed her hand gently she let out a hiccoughing gasp and I watched as the tears began flowing freely down her face. Her face reddened and her body shook with the force of her cries. I just sat with her and held her hand. I kept a straight face even though my heart was breaking for all the pain my little sister had had to endure. While we had been happy and moving forward, she had been trapped behind in unbearable pain.

"I'm so….ashamed and…embarrassed…," Prim cried to me.

"Sweetie, there's no reason to feel any of those things. We just want to help you get better. I'm so sorry I didn't try to help you sooner," I said to her, working hard to keep it together for her.

"Why are you sorry? I should be sorry, you…you risked everything to save my…life... and I…I tried to throw it away…I'm so…sorry...Peeta. I'm sorry…you've been so good to me and Katniss…I...I'm…just...selfish...forgive me…," she cried to me.

I felt Katniss brush past me and climb into bed with Prim. When Prim saw Katniss was awake, her crying started up again with a vengeance. Katniss moved to hold Prim, who curled into her big sister's embrace.

I watched the two of them cry against each other for a long while. When everyone's tears finally began to slow, I tried to come up with a reason to leave so the girls would have some time alone to talk. My growling stomach provided the perfect excuse.

"Why don't I go down and get some lunch for everyone? I'll bet you both that I can sway the nurse into letting you have a popsicle, Prim," I said to them.

"If anyone can pull it off, Peeta, I know it would be you," Katniss replied. I got up and gave both girls a kiss on the head before moving out of the room. It was probably a good idea that I also give the group an update on how Prim was doing.

"Oh, what flavor?" I said back to them quickly from the doorway.

"Cherry, please," Prim replied softly.

"Cherry it is, princess," I said before I closed the door softly behind me.

Katniss's pov

Prim and I watched Peeta leave the room before turning back to each other. For some reason the situation became incredibly awkward after he left. Without Peeta to act as a buffer to all of our unspoken questions they swirled around us, suffocating the room until it was clear neither of us was brave enough to voice them. When I found out what Prim had done, a myriad of emotions coursed through me. At first I didn't want to believe it, that she could have gotten so bad as to try to…I couldn't say it. I couldn't even think about what she had tried to do without getting angry and upset. I felt so guilty that I wasn't able to help her more. I didn't see that she had progressed to such a severe level of depression. I had no idea how to help her, and I was terrified that anything I said would make it worse. I needed Peeta back. Somehow, he always managed to say the right thing. I continued to hold Prim until I decided to take the safe route and just reiterate what it was that Peeta had said.

"Prim, I love you. I just want to help you get better. Whatever you need, I'm here, okay?" Three sentences and I felt as if I had just addressed the nation. The fear that was coursing through me as I spoke was so palpable I was sure Prim must have noticed. Luckily for me she seemed to have been so lost in her own thoughts that all she did was nod.

"Thanks, Katniss," she said to me quietly. Then we just sat in silence again. Finally, after what felt like hours but in reality was only fifteen minutes, Peeta returned to the room.

"Okay! I have juice, I have food, and I have popsicles! Who's hungry?" Peeta said with a smile. We ate quietly before a nurse knocked on our door.

"Ms. Everdeen, a doctor is here to speak with you. Her name is Dr. Nori, she is a psychiatrist with the hospital. She wants to know if now is a good time," the nurse asked cheerily.

I watched Prim's eyes go wide at the thought of having to talk to anyone about this. I was about to tell her that she didn't have to talk to anyone, but I swallowed down my natural instinct to comfort her. She did have to talk to someone. She needed help, and I wasn't enough for her. A full minute went by before Prim nodded her head in agreement.

"Prim, Kat and I are just going to be out in the hall. We're just going to call home and check on Hope, ok? If you need anything, we'll be by the nurses' station," Peeta said as he came over to me and we made our way out of the room. I wanted to stay and listen to what the doctor had to say. I wanted to protect Prim, but I followed Peeta anyway. I knew Peeta was still thinking logically about what was best for Prim. I wasn't sure if I could say the same about myself.

In the hall we saw Dr. Nori. She gave us a smile and came over to introduce herself.

"Hi Katniss, Peeta? I'm Doctor Nori. I'm going to have a talk with Prim and run a couple of tests, but after that can we find a time for us to talk? That is, if we have Prim's permission, of course. Maybe we can meet in the family lounge in a half hour or so?"

I was choked up and didn't know what to say. I had mixed feelings about this Dr. Nori, I was worried she would do more harm than good but knew one talk couldn't hurt anything. I nodded my head and Peeta responded for us.

"We would very much appreciate that, doctor. Thank you. We will speak with you then," Peeta said as he led me into the family lounge down the hall from Prim's room.

The hospital was small and private which meant that for the right price we could keep the staff silent as to the fact that we were here. We weren't stupid, we knew we still had enemies. Although neither Peeta nor I had brought it up yet, we both knew that every day we stayed here we put our family at greater risk. The media now knew we lived in this region, which meant so did those wishing to do us harm. Every minute we spent off our property, outside of our own security system, we gave them more information about our whereabouts. It was why we decided it best that only Peeta and I come to the hospital with Prim. We left Hope at home. She was much too young to be here anyway, and the price tag on a picture of the famous Mellark baby was so high that we couldn't afford to risk bringing her out.

Peeta punched in the code for our private family lounge and brought me into the room. It was decorated much like Prim's room, the same calming color scheme with a sea foam green accent wall. We sat down on the couch together and Peeta wrapped his arm around my shoulders, giving me a little squeeze.

"Talk to me, honey."

"I don't even know where to start. I feel so…" I could feel it bubbling up, the truth.

"What do you feel, love?"

"Angry! I'm so angry, Peeta, and just the fact that I'm angry makes me embarrassed. I'm so mad at her for not seeing the value in her life, that she would choose to throw it all away." I took some calming breaths before I kept going. "I feel so guilty. I wasn't enough for her. I didn't make her feel loved enough and I didn't get her help sooner. It's my fault, Peeta, it's my fault." I felt my tears betraying me. I gave in and cried quietly on his shoulder, feeling his warm hand rubbing my back soothingly.

"Kat, it's definitely not your fault. Prim is sick. She has severe depression that I failed to see just as much as you did. It's so hard to know when someone needs professional help versus when they can cope on their own. Before you came into my life, I had undiagnosed depression. You know that. I spent plenty of days the way Prim did in the beginning, and eventually I got better. I wasn't happy, not even close, but I just took it a day at a time until I was lucky enough to have a brother who misguidedly bought me a slave who I fell in love with." He kissed me on the forehead, then continued, "I let my own experience cloud my judgment with Prim. I told myself that if you had died I would be in worse shape then Prim. I wrote it off to grief and didn't push. What you're feeling, the guilt and sadness, I'm feeling it, too. Your anger is normal also. You love her so much and can so easily see how much of a gift she is to the world; you're mad at her for not seeing her worth…it makes sense, Kat. It does."

He held me like that as I waited for the tears to finally slow. He was right, as usual, but it didn't make me feel much better. He called Damien from his chip and I only half listened as he spoke. I only really started to listen when he mentioned our baby.

"…and that's all we know. How's Hope doing? Good. We miss her. No, I have no idea when we're going to be getting back at this point. We're going to be talking to her doctor soon…," I heard the door open. "Hey listen, Damien, Prim's doctor is here. I'll call you later." I felt Peeta stand up so I did the same. I looked over at Doctor Nori and hoped she had answers for us. I watched Peeta shake her hand before taking a seat on the couch again.

"Katniss, Peeta, I'm sorry, is it alright if I call you by your first names?" Doctor Nori asked.

"That's fine, Dr. Nori" I replied. She could call me bitch for all I cared; I just wanted her to tell me what was going on with Prim.

"Please, call me Safra," Dr. Nori responded.

"Alright, Safra. So what was it you wished to speak to us about? Are you who we direct questions about Prim's condition to?" Peeta asked her.

"I am Prim's mental professional. Prim has graciously allowed me to share my finding with you as her next of kin. It is my job to assess her level of stability, as well as pinpoint what variables contributed to her attempted suicide. I wanted to talk to you about my discoveries in Prim's case, and see if, as her loved ones, you could answer some questions about Prim's background that she did not answer. I was hoping I could inform you of what I know, and once we are all aware of the facts we could begin with questions?"

"That's fine, doctor," I replied back to her. I felt Peeta hold my hand as we waited for the doctor to begin.

"First, let me assure you that physically Prim will make a full recovery from the toxins she administered to her body. We have applied a temporary lining to her stomach and esophagus so her physical pain should be minimal as her body rejuvenates. As for her mental state, Prim's brain scans have come in confirming our hypothesis that she suffers from severe depression. We are able to see from tests that we performed on the brain as we spoke to Prim that both her amygdala and hippocampus are experiencing lethargy in the form of slow neurotransmissions. Additionally, her thalmus is now functioning at an abnormally slow level of cell division."

"I'm sorry, but can you repeat that with fewer medical terms?" I asked her.

"Of course, my apologies. Essentially, Katniss, your sister's brain is confirming that she is depressed because all of the signs of depression are biologically there."

"You guys are able to see that?" I asked, incredulous.

"Well…yes...Do they not offer the technology in Panem?" Dr. Nori asked innocently.

Oh, if she only knew. I was dying to let the dear doctor know that in Panem we were still burning people's skin to get it to melt back together because we could rarely afford sterile stitches. I will never get used to the technology this country takes for granted.

"No, I'm afraid not. Please continue."

"The depression symptoms seem to have begun a few months ago based on the signs of damage we can see on the cell tissue. Prim tells me that her boyfriend died a few months ago? Her medical chart also states that she experienced a miscarriage shortly after arriving in America? Prim also notified me that your mother is in a mental health facility for immobilizing depression, is that correct?"

"Um…yes to everything I suppose. Although I don't know what type of depression my mother has. I didn't even know there were categories of depression."

"Oh yes, we have been able to identify over fifty different forms of depression based on brain activity. It seems that between her early miscarriage, the death of her loved one, and her predisposition to the disease due to family history, Prim has been suffering severely from acute atypical and postpartum depressions."

"So what can we do for her?" Peeta asked quietly.

"We would suggest monitoring her overnight with the immediate administration of the drugs Laeauctus and Notristis, for neurotransmission absorption and expedited cell growth. We would also suggest that she move to a special facility where she can be monitored on a full-time basis."

"Your mean send her away?" Peeta asked taken aback.

"Absolutely not," I snapped. They were not taking my sister away from me when I just got her back.

"Doctor, what would they do for her at this facility?" Peeta asked, squeezing my hand to calm me.

"Prim would be monitored and given her prescriptions. She would also undergo daily counseling sessions and participate in activities meant to destress the mind and body."

"Is there an option to help Prim from home in a similar way? If we were to hire a private therapist to work with Prim?" Peeta asked back.

"I suppose that is a possibility, however full-time private treatment is exceedingly costly…"

"Whatever it is, we will pay it. If it is an option, that is how we will proceed. I can't imagine that what's best for Prim right now is to be ripped away from her support system. We will get Prim the therapy she needs, but she will remain at home."

I was speechless. I couldn't believe how quickly Peeta was able to plan a course of action that was viable for all of us. I was filled with love and gratitude for everything he continued to do for us.

"Very well. Now that we have that decided, would either of you like to ask any questions?"

I had so many questions that I couldn't decide which one to ask first. I turned to Peeta looking distraught. Thankfully, my husband knew me well enough to see how overwhelmed I was and once again was able to voice my thoughts.

"When should we begin to expect to see improvements in Prim's behavior? Is there a way to notice signs earlier should she attempt this sort of behavior again?" Peeta asked anxiously.

"Behavioral changes can take up to three weeks as the medication runs through the blood stream. As for full results, that differs by the individual patient, level of care and counseling. Should Prim suddenly begin experiencing any of her earlier extreme fatigue and disinterest, notify us immediately; it may be a sign that her medication dosages are not adequate and need to be adjusted. Other than that, she should not become so extreme as to try this again unless she tampers with the medication herself. Many patients are known to stop taking their medication once they feel they have 'recovered'. Removal of medication is a long process where we slowly lower dosages, allowing the patient's body to compensate for loss of the drug. Many patients are not candidates for drug removal, and may stay on the medication for the rest of their lives," Dr. Nori explained. A beeping noise went off in her ear before she stood up. "My sincerest apologies, I have been alerted to a medical emergency that needs my immediate attention. Should you have any more questions, please feel free to ask the nurses. I will be back later tonight as well as tomorrow to check on Prim and we can continue then as well."

With that she rapidly left the room leaving Peeta and me with hundreds more questions.

"She never said she would be okay," I said emotionlessly to Peeta. "She might never recover from this. The old Prim may never come back. What are we going to do, Peeta?" I asked despairingly.

"We're going to take this one day at a time. It's all we can do, love, and maybe one day without us even noticing it, she'll come back."


	6. Chapter 6

Peeta's Pov

"Look who's home!" I said with forced enthusiasm as Katniss guided a very weak Prim into the house.

"Hey! Good to have you back, sugar! We missed you!" Annie said, coming over and giving Prim a delicate hug. Everyone came over and said hi to Prim, although Gale and Johanna were surprisingly absent. That kind of pissed me off; in my mind, Gale and Johanna were the most random of our bunch. Finnick and Annie's house burned down because they helped us, and we had become great friends. They had also become very helpful members of our cause to help the refugees. Johanna and Gale, on the other hand, they sort of just came one day and never thought to leave. The least they could do was greet Prim. I shook my head, clearing my thoughts. I was just on edge from the stress of everything. We had been gone for three days and we only managed to make it home just as the sun set even though Prim had been released this morning.

"Prim, I would be really excited if we could be roommates again. I missed having you around…would you move into my room with me?" Rue said sweetly to Prim. The doctors only released Prim on the condition that she would not sleep alone, so Rue thoughtfully agreed to room with Prim again. Rue suggested that perhaps Prim sleep in her room since there was 'better energy' in there. We had already told Prim of the new arrangement, but all the same, it was very nice for Rue to ask. Prim gave a shaky nod and started walking toward Rue's room with her. We watched her go just as Thresh came in carrying Hope.

"Baby girl! I missed you!" I said, taking my daughter from his arms and giving her multiple kisses on the head. Katniss came over and took Hope just as quickly from my arms.

"Mommy missed you, too! My beautiful baby! How is it possible that you got so big in the past three days?" Katniss cooed to Hope. I felt a genuine smile reach my face for the first time in three days as I watched Katniss cuddle our baby. I put my arms around Katniss and started leading her to our room.

"We're going to go unwind a little before dinner. Get cleaned up, feed Hope, and put her to sleep. We'll come back down for dinner and share what we know. That sound good?" I said to Annie and Finnick. Damien and Thresh were already in the kitchen working on dinner as they gave me a distracted nod of confirmation.

Katniss was holding Hope close to her and I was able to study how worn down she seemed as a result of the past three days. With any luck, the medical patches they placed on Prim would go a long way in her recuperation. I prayed that they would, if not just for Prim's sake then definitely for Kat's. We were just turning the corner toward our hallway when we heard muffled arguing.

"I swear to god, Gale, if you don't talk to that girl I will. She needs you, and you're being a coward! Don't say you don't know how to deal with this when we both know that you do! You just handled this with me for fuck's sake!" Johanna hissed at Gale.

"It's not really the same thing Jo, now is it? I can hardly treat her the way I treated you, can I?" Gale hissed back.

"I'm not telling you to fuck her demons away, Gale. I'm just telling you to talk to the girl for god's sake!"

Oh shit was this awkward. I looked over at Katniss to see her incredibly uncomfortable. I motioned to her that we should turn around just as they noticed we were there.

"Ah shit. Listen, guys, what you heard…" Gale started. He subconsciously rubbed his hand behind his neck in a nervous gesture I had come to mark as distinctly Gale.

"Gale, listen. It's not my business. I am exhausted. I want to go spend a few minutes unwinding with my family in peace, all right? Yes, you are a huge asshole if you don't talk to Prim. That's all I'm going to say," Katniss muttered as she tried to control her temper.

She started walking off with Hope and I followed her to our room, shaking my head at Gale to not respond. We were all too short on patience right now to have an intelligent argument about anything.

I came into our bedroom to see Katniss lying on the chaise with Hope in her arms. She was pinching the bridge of her nose, trying to release some tension. I wordlessly straddled the chaise behind her and laid back, pulling her body to rest on mine. I started to lightly massage the tension out of her shoulders before she spoke.

"What the hell do you think that was about?" Katniss asked me.

"I honestly have no idea. Then again, I really don't know much at all about Gale and Johanna's relationship. They kind of just started being together. I guess with everything going on it was never a priority of mine to get the details on that story."

"Mhmm…" Katniss said by way of agreement.

"How are you doing, though?" I asked her quietly. After the first day, Katniss didn't really do much crying. We just kind of waited around while Prim went in and out of various tests and therapy sessions. It was pretty clear how she was doing in the hospital – Katniss had been one step away from pulling all of her hair out.

"Much better now that we're home. I'm still terrified and feel guilty, but I'm trying not to hover. So here I am, with you, not hovering over her, and I'm actually trying to relax. It feels like it's working…," she replied. I leaned back and settled Kat in the center of my body, running my fingers through her long hair. Hope began to get fussy so I watched as Katniss fed her and then, when Hope was finished, I listened as Kat quietly sang her to sleep. Listening to Katniss sing to our baby had me relaxing as well. There was just something about her voice that always made me feel like everything was going to be okay.

After putting Hope to bed, Katniss and I showered off the scent of sanitizer left from the hospital and dressed in comfortable clothes that had us feeling more like ourselves. Prim's sickness definitely set us back, but now that she was getting the proper treatment we were going to try to stay positive about her future. We weren't really ready to join everyone yet, so we decided to cuddle up and watch the news. With everything going on in our personal lives we had neglected to follow the events going on in the country.

"America has seen a rampant rise in petty crime activity due to the recent freedom of the Panem slaves in America. In the six weeks since the vote for freedom, random acts of theft and vandalism have been seen around the country, which experts are dubbing as initiation rituals for organized crime rings. We go now to Cora Albert for more information."

The monitor flipped to a heavily trashed building with smoke billowing from it. Katniss' worried eyes caught mine for a moment before the news anchor began to speak.

"Good evening, America. I am currently standing just east of one of the largest displacement camps containing freed Panem slaves in the country. Why am I here? I am here because of the rise in vandalism and petty crime this region has experienced over the past couple of months. Graffiti, theft, broken windows, burning buildings… The crime rate is the highest on record in American history since the final devastation. Experts believe that the rise in criminal activity is directly linked to the underground mob society. For years, many Americans believed the gang rings were localized to the lower economic factions of the country. However, as we see the gross increase in initiation rituals appear around the country, specifically in areas adjacent to the displacement camps, officials are beginning to worry that the American Mob scene may be expanding. The freed slaves still have yet to be awarded official citizenship papers, barring them from seeking out honest work. It seems that at least a portion of them are turning to a life of crime. Hopefully, with the opening of the Mellark Sanctuary in the next couple of weeks, we will see a drop in not only displaced persons but in the crime rate as well. In the meantime, we urge everyone in the area to keep a sharp eye and remember to set their security precautions upon leaving home. I'm Cora Albert, back to you in the studio!"

The screen flashed back to the studio.

"Thank you Cora. I bet our viewers are wondering if it was such a good idea to free those slaves after all! And now for our weather!"

I shut off the monitor in disgust and looked over at Katniss. She had her thumb in her mouth and she was biting her fingernail. I could tell she was worried about the news report, as I was.

"Well… it seems we got a shout out from the media," Katniss said, trying to find a bright side when there wasn't one.

"Yeah, for opening our doors to take care of their dirty problem," I said as I ran my fingers through my hair. Katniss took my hand in midair and placed it in hers before I met her eyes.

"Are we crazy for agreeing to do this?" Katniss asked me.

"I just don't know. Forget for a minute about everything that's going on in our personal lives. Criminals, Katniss? Do we want to open up a correctional facility in addition to a free clinic? There are a lot of factors that we really didn't take into account. I'm worried that we're getting in over our heads. I think we're going to be overwhelmed. How many people can the dorms hold, Kat? Five hundred? Six hundred? None of them have left. What if a thousand of them show up right off the bat? What if they need mental help like Prim does? You heard what the doctor said to us about seeing an increase in suicides. What if they need the same kind of therapy Prim needs? We have no one to supply it."

I felt the weight of what we volunteered to do for the first time since we made the decision. I was being naïve and stupid to think just offering these people food and shelter while they learned how to be independent providers would be sufficient for them. We were just a small handful of people. We had other responsibilities, to our families and to ourselves, before we surrendered everything in the name of faceless people. I still wanted to help. I felt horrible for their predicament, but was I inviting trouble into our lives with my need to play the hero?

"I think we need to have a discussion with the others. We need to come up with a strategy for the refugees. We can't just open up the gates and call it a free-for-all. We are in enough danger as it is, with the media knowing the location of our property. I don't want a bunch of people who feel like they have no other options to turn us into victims just because we are attempting to help those who don't want to be helped," Katniss said, running her thumb over my fingertips.

"I agree with you. We definitely need to talk to everyone else. It's not just our decision," I said, leaning my head against hers.

She gave me a kiss on the side of my head before pulling me up from the couch. "Come on, let's go have some dinner and talk with the others. The sooner we do that, the sooner we might be able to actually find a peaceful night of sleep," Katniss said to me with optimism in her voice.

"I would agree with you, but with everything going on, I really don't think I'm that lucky."

She chuckled at my words and I didn't have it in me to tell her I wasn't joking.


	7. Chapter 7

Katniss's pov

At dinner, Peeta and I reported to everyone what we heard on the news about the Panem refugees.

"Well... fuck...," Gale muttered.

"Elegantly put Gale, thank you," I quipped.

"So what's the plan?" Finnick asked, looking up at Peeta and I.

"We don't have one yet...," Peeta replied.

"How do you not have a plan? You always have a plan, even if it's a last-minute, half-assed one. So come on, spill it," Damien insisted.

Peeta laughed despite himself. "Really, I don't have one!" He looked at everyone seriously before continuing. "I'm torn. I want to help the refugees, but we're putting ourselves at a lot of risk if we go through with this," he explained.

There was an awkward silence as the weight of Peeta's words sunk in with everyone.

"Let's go about this from a different approach then," Annie said. "What if we weren't in danger? What steps would we take knowing what we know now?"

"Well, we'd need to ask for volunteer staff I think - therapists, doctors, counselors, teachers, people who are looking to help and can guide the new refugees smoothly through whatever problems they may have faced or face currently. Try to build more facilities for the additional refugees. Set up places people can go to speak in private?" Peeta suggested.

"Okay, and if others were taking in refugees and they weren't a problem, and we were in danger still, what would you do?"

I answered that one. "Well, that's easy. We would close the program, or at the very least downsize the number of refugees considerably. We would make sure the decoy entrance is sound and workable. Not let anyone volunteer in the village who is at high risk...," I looked around the table and noticed a few people nodding.

"Alright, so where is the middle ground everyone can be happy with?" Annie said again.

I was about to answer when Johanna interrupted.

"Not to put a little damper on the party, but don't we want to stick to one problem at a time here? What are you guys planning on doing with Prim? You know, the original issue we were supposed to discuss at dinner?" Johanna said abruptly, pausing our conversation as she threw down her fork.

This made me mad. How dare she make it seem like I just moved on from Prim's attempted suicide without coming up with a course of action to get her healthy. Just because Peeta and I hadn't yet shared the particulars with everyone does not mean that we had neglected to arrange for her future. I snapped.

"Hey! There are group decisions and then there are family decisions. We are currently discussing a group decision that puts all of our safety into jeopardy. As a courtesy, because we know you guys care about Prim, we were planning on sharing the decisions Peeta and I have already made about what she's going to need and how to care for her. How dare you insinuate that we've just moved on to another problem!" I shouted.

No one spoke and I turned to see that Prim had just entered the kitchen. She was standing tensely with wide eyes and raised eyebrows. I closed my eyes and blushed at what that sentence must have sounded like if she hadn't heard the entire discussion. It sounded like I had just referred to Prim as one of my problems. Prim ignored my outburst and turned toward Annie.

"I think it's pretty straightforward what the middle ground is. Take in refugees by the group. Admit one hundred people a week until you reach your limit. Train the refugees as they come in, starting with an orientation about what to expect on the first day. Group one should be only healthy people who can help run the community once group two arrives. Some make food, some work in the clinic, some clean, garden, etc. No one is to know where the main house is, and they can only come to the decoy house if there is an emergency. We should set up security at the entrance to the community. No weapons should be allowed. Everyone should get an ID card, just because they're not citizens yet doesn't make them no one. We should know who they are and they should know that this is where they belong," Prim explained, completely ignoring my earlier outburst and me.

Everyone at the table just looked at her, dumbstruck by what she had just offered. It was perfect – simple, clear, organized. It was as if the old Prim were coming back just in time and had all the answers we were seeking.

"Oh, and find a good crackpot doctor whose willing to take your PROBLEMS and make sure to medicate them so they don't do something CRAZY!" Prim said looking straight at me before turning around and going to her room.

Lovely. Just lovely.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Peeta's Pov

I heard Kat getting an earful from Prim and debated whether or not to go in there or just let the two of them fight this out. On the positive side of things, I really thought the medicine was helping Prim. A week ago she wouldn't have gotten out of bed let alone spoken a full sentence to anyone. Although this Everdeen vs. Everdeen spat wasn't really what I was hoping for when we got home, it was still a major improvement in my mind.

Hope was fussy in my arms. The muffled yelling was clearly irritating her, as they were interrupting her beauty sleep, after all. I had been standing in the hall with her for about ten minutes ever since she woke up. I was getting to the point where I was considering just going back to the room to wait for Katniss. Just as I was about to walk back to our room Prim's door opened, Katniss walked out and then slammed the door again behind her. She did not look happy.

"Just…don't. Don't say anything, Mr. Perfect. I'm serious, not a word!" Katniss said, turning on me.

I held Hope up in front of me like a shield, pretending that the baby could save me from a verbal attack by her mother. Katniss took a deep breath and stormed off toward our bedroom. Being the smart husband that I like to think I am, I followed her, making sure to keep a safe distance. When I got into the room I could hear Katniss washing her face in the bathroom. Sensing that this was probably an early night for bed, I pulled down the blankets and put on some sleep pants. When Kat finally came out I had gotten Hope to fall asleep and I was lying in bed. She took a deep breath before walking over to me and straddling my lap.

"Am I a horrible person?" Katniss mumbled with her head on my shoulder.

I couldn't help but smile to myself. "The worst," I told her jokingly.

"No, I'm serious Peeta. I called Prim my problem. My suicidal sister heard me call her my problem."

"First of all, she is no longer suicidal. If she is going to have any chance at moving past this then you can't think that she's always going to be like this. The doctor told us that she is just as ashamed and guilty as we are, if not more. We have to let her get better, and a big part of that will be trusting that she is getting better on the medicine. Second, that was not your fault. That was a product of what happens when exhaustion and bad timing mix with a provoking comment. You snapped and that was okay. Johanna was definitely out of line and I told her that after you ran after Prim. If it makes you feel better, I know Johanna feels bad about it. She referred to Prim as one of your problems first, trying to get a rise out of you. I don't really know what the reason was behind it, but it was not acceptable. Especially after everything you have had to go through with Prim since this all happened. Lastly, for lack of a better word, Prim is your problem. She is your problem because you love her and care about her. She is my problem as well. Just like you are my problem and Hope is my problem and Damien is my problem. Being your problem isn't necessarily a bad thing, it just means you care. Alright?"

Katniss just nodded her head against my shoulder and I gave her a kiss on her head.

"You've been my problem for almost a year now. Did you know that? Do you know how many messes I have gotten into because you're my problem?" I turned her head so she would look me in the eye. "I stopped counting after the first month and you know what? I wouldn't change a single one of them if I could because now we're here and together." I kissed her and settled her next to me so I was spooning her.

"Now, let's go to bed and you can bring Prim a peace offering in the morning. We can use Hope's diapered bottom as a white flag, we'll just hold her in front of us and wave her around." That got a little chuckle out of Katniss. I bent over, shut off the light, and snuggled back into the mattress, falling asleep the moment my head hit the pillow.

The door to our room opened quietly a while later. I opened my eyes and watched Prim walk into the room and climb into bed with Katniss. I heard Katniss groggily ask Prim what was wrong but Prim just hugged Katniss and began to cry. I watched as Katniss comforted her, rubbing her hand up and down Prim's back and making calming noises.

"I'm… sorry..." Prim cried softly. "I never wanted to be your problem."

"Shh, sweetie, you're not my problem. I love you, and because I love you I'm protective of you. I'm sorry you had to hear that – it was all a misunderstanding," Katniss whispered back to a crying Prim.

"Yes, I am. I know I am. I'm sorry," she continued to cry.

I listened to Katniss soothe Prim until Prim's cries died away with the arrival of sleep. At some point I must have fallen asleep as well, because when I woke up both Prim and Katniss were gone.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Prim's pov

Numb. That's how I have felt for the past two weeks on the medicinal patch the doctors attached to the back of my neck. The dosages were prefilled, so as long as I changed the patch monthly I would never have to worry about missing a dose. The patch was supposed to make me forget that there was something wrong with me. As if by not swallowing the pills I wouldn't realize the drugs were affecting my mood, behavior and way of thinking. Until, of course, there was a delay in administering my next dose, which was known to happen on occasion. When that happened, I had the most dramatic mood swings. I screamed and cried, unable to control my reactions. I usually ended up breaking something, but nine times out of ten I just ended up further breaking myself. If possible, I would say I hated the drugs more then I hated the actual depression. When I was depressed I had at least felt pain and sadness, I had known I was alive. I had only known I was alive on the drugs because my therapist reminded me that I was on a daily basis and that I should really start acting like it. Easier said than done, Stupid American shrink.

I smiled slightly to myself as I waited for the first group of freed slaves to come onto the property. I stood near my family and their friends and I felt almost normal again. There was nothing to identify me as the "problem" member of the clan. I was back to "normal," regardless of the bursts of pain and overwhelming sadness that may have caught me off guard since I ripped off that drug patch.

No one in the house knew I had stopped taking my medication, nor did I expect them to realize it. Katniss would definitely go insane if she knew I had stopped taking the drugs. Our strained relationship was slowly starting to awkwardly heal since I had one of my mood swings a couple weeks ago. She thought my crying to her was a sign of my body healing with the help of the medicine. I never had the heart to tell her that I wasn't healing; the tears were just a side effect of the hormone imbalance common due to drug doses.

The drugs couldn't bring back the old Prim, even if the side effects hadn't numbed my emotions. I just couldn't bring myself to tell Katniss that the old Prim was dead. She died at the train station in the American capitol from a shattered heart. I had no idea who the new Prim was yet. Until she showed up, I would just pretend everything was okay, then maybe one day it would be true. I realized that I was just a shell of what I once was, the shadow of a once happy, innocent girl. That girl would never curse, would never be inexplicably angry, and definitely would never disobey the rules, but like I said, that girl had gone.

"Prim? Prim? Did you hear what I said?" Rue said, as she walked up to me.

"Hmm, what?" I asked, coming out of my thoughts.

"I asked you if you were excited about the Panem refugees coming. They should all be around our age so it'll be nice to have more people to talk to, don't you think?" She tried to make conversation.

God bless Rue, she was the girl that bad things happened to and yet she still managed to see the bright side of the situation. She had been through murdered parents, starvation, physical and emotional abuse, and tons of other crap she didn't feel the need to talk about. She should have been as fucked up as I was. So the fact that she wasn't made me insane with envy. I wanted to hate her, but she was a genuinely good person, so I just couldn't help myself, I liked her all the more for it.

"Prim? Are you feeling okay? You didn't answer my question," Rue said gently, as she put her hand on my shoulder.

Dammit. I needed to do a better job of not being so damn spacy or they were going to realize something was up.

"Oh, sorry! Yea, I'm excited. It'll be nice to help out around here. Work hard and all that." That sounded like one of those optimistic comments my therapist had suggested I make. I wracked my brain trying to think about how the old Prim would have responded.

"I'm looking forward to giving back to those who are less fortunate than myself," I said. Rue's warm smile seemed to be all the confirmation I needed to know that she had believed my hollow comment. I wasn't looking forward to giving back as much as I looked forward to working so hard I would fall into a dreamless oblivion every night from exhaustion.

"We've got pedestrians!" Finnick's voice called through our micro-talks. The little black bracelets allowed us to talk to the entire group by just pushing the button on the watch. Peeta insisted each of us carry one if we would be working in the community as a way of keeping our locations known. Just another one of my brother in law's many borderline overprotective safety precautions.

"Pedestrians? I thought the first group was coming in by travel van?" I asked.

"They are. I wonder who the pedestrians could be? Would someone really choose to walk here?" Rue replied.

Before we had a chance to ask, Finnick continued to talk through the bracelets. "I have twenty people about to walk through the gate. I'm looking at eight girls and twelve boys wearing federal-issued refugee apparel. I will stop them at the gate and question them about how they got here. Just giving everyone an advanced warning."

"Well, if they are coming to live in the community I'm sure I could find one or two of those twelve to rest my eyes on," Rue giggled to me.

I gave her a small smile. I wasn't giggly anymore but I knew I had to try for her sake. At the very least I couldn't show her that even the idea of looking at another guy made my chest sting for Rory.

"Can I help you, friends?" Finnick's voice rang through the intercom. Another clear voice answered him in return.

"We heard talk of a community being opened for Panem refugees. The waiting list for transportation was a few months so we decided to walk. Is there still room for us?"

"Sure, just so long as you're willing to help out with everyone else as they come in, too!" Finnick said. "What are your names?"

I could hear different names being shouted out toward Finnick, but considering the fact that they were still some distance from his microtalk I couldn't make out the specifics.

"Can you hear what their names are?" Rue said to me, as she pressed her ear to the micro-talk bracelet.

I shook my head no.

"Alright, I'm going to send you down the road to community check-in. Some other Panem refugees will check you guys in and get a little more information from you. We're pretty high security here, as you can imagine, but assuming your stories check out, you're all welcome here."

"Well? What are you waiting for? Let's go!" Rue said as she pulled my hand towards the check-in. I could have lied and said I wasn't curious about seeing the new arrivals, but that would have just been a waste of time.

We all had our own designated jobs for when the refugees arrived. Peeta was waiting over at the town hall. Annie and Katniss were in the medical clinic. Finnick acted as security and overseer at the main gate. Gale and Rue were doing interviews at check-in. If they passed check-in, Damien and I would make identification cards for everyone and give them a quick tour of the "community" before bringing them to the town hall. That's where Peeta would give a welcome orientation. Johanna would set the girls up with their jobs and living supplies, with Thresh doing the same for the boys. Annie would give physicals. Katniss would stay with little Finn and baby Hope in the house because everyone agreed it was best to keep them away from the community for now. If there were no problems today or tomorrow the incoming refugees would be trained to act as new staff to help with the next round of people who came to the community. Now it sounded like we would have even more new workers to help with those coming in from the refugee camp than we had previously thought.

I hung back with Damien near the ID card machine, I stood out of the direct line of sight from the visitors, as the group approached Gale and Rue. I watched Gale interview the first refugee as his table was closest to where I stood. Gale being Gale turned toward the first guy, looked him straight in the eye and said aggressively, "What the hell are you doing here when you could be training to fight with the Panem rebellion in Jefferson County?"

The boy Gale addressed had jet black hair that was cut unevenly short on his head. He was broad and muscular, although it was clear that he needed to gain some weight. His knuckles were marked with red welts that stood out against his tanned skin. I couldn't tell what color his eyes were but he had high cheekbones and a set of full lips. The boy met Gale's eyes straight on and said, "From what I understand, I could ask you the same thing." That comment made me smile. My smile got wider as I noticed Gale's jaw tense. I could see how close to home it hit for Gale.

"To answer your question further, I have no one left in Panem so I won't be abandoning anyone on that front. I just want to forget the place ever existed. Too many bad memories."

"If that's true, then why did you join the work labor program in the first place? If you had no one who would benefit from it, why would you go?" Gale questioned him further.

"You did live in Panem, right? If someone was giving you a one-way ticket out of your life and you didn't have any family holding you down, are you honestly telling me you wouldn't have signed up?"

Gale ignored his question and asked another one. "What district were you from originally?"

"District 10."

"Cattle boy?"

"One in the same. Rumor has it that you can earn a few head by working this place."

"You'd be right. Name?"

"Zeyer Pannone"

"Last question. Why the hell would you walk here?"

"I like walking."

"There's something about you, Zeyer Pannone from district 10, I just can't figure it out yet. Go ahead and get your identification card, but just know I'm keeping my eye on you."

The boy didn't respond; instead he walked right past Gale toward the ID table. When his eyes met mine I drew in a quick breath of surprise. His eyes were a purple-grey that I had never seen before, but I somehow remembered. I shook away the thought because of how stupid it sounded, even in my own head.

He gave me a small smile before he said, "Good morning, Primrose."

My eyes went huge.

How did this guy know my name?


	8. Chapter 8

Peeta's Pov

So the madness began.

I was still uncomfortable with the idea of having so many virtual strangers living so close to our home, but it was definitely too late to change that now.

I had just finished my fifth orientation and they had all gone pretty well. The first group of people who came to the community was made up of skilled workers so we were able to put them to work instantly chopping wood, tending the animals and working in the clinic. I was thankful that they came on their own before the crowds because they had been working tirelessly with us to get everyone settled in.

The community had only been open four days and already we were almost at capacity in the living quarters. The clinic was completely full. From what Katniss told me, the situation in the infirmary was worse than she could have imagined. One patient, she told me, had open lacerations on his back that became infected and healed with the infection inside. The slashes looked like they were given with a metal belt, she said, most likely from an abusive owner.

I got the feeling that the abuse of the Panem slaves was even more widespread than I had imagined, and that the American Red Cross service efforts that worked at the Displaced Persons camps had not done nearly enough to help the victims. Many people walked around here broken, holding their heads low and keeping their eyes on the ground. I wondered if they just looked at this as another camp, or if they realized that this place was intended to give them a new start. I would have asked, but most seemed wary of speaking with me.

"Hey, you. I was looking for you!" I heard my favorite voice call from behind me. I turned around to see Katniss racing towards me. I smiled at her, watching the wind pull her hair away from her face as she ran and hugged her to me when she jumped into my arms. We hadn't been getting to spend much time together recently and it felt good to hold her. I ran my hands up her back and gave her a quick kiss before I put her down. I took her hand in mine before I began to walk toward the house and brushed my thumb over her wrist as we moved.

"How was your day?" she asked me as we ducked through the trees toward the path that would lead us home.

"It was busy. I spoke to close to a hundred and fifty people today." I saw her eyebrows rise at the high number.

"And what did you think of them?"

"I think they need help. They could all stand to gain some weight. Maybe once they get settled things will pick up. How's everything in the clinic?" I asked her.

"Similar cases. Luckily, there hasn't been anyone who has needed hospitalization yet, but I did get in a few people with … suspicious injuries," she said, giving me a meaningful look.

"You mean..?" I hoped not more attempted suicides.

She nodded. "Long, deep cuts on the wrists, one or two with bruising around the neck. I can only imagine what these people have been through and I feel helpless. It hurts me to think that they preferred death at one point. They have no one to talk to about what they have been through. It doesn't look like the other refugees want to talk about their experiences either. I don't know what to do. I just keep telling myself that it will get better. It's hard to believe that I could have just have easily been in their place."

"Don't talk like that, please. I can't bare even thinking anything like that could ever have happened to you." I said close to her ear before I pulled her to me and kissed her passionately under the shadows of the tree branches.

"Did you want to come to the town hall meeting tonight or did you want to stay home with Hope?" I asked her.

Everyone in the house had been taking turns staying back with Hope and little Finn, looking over the security cameras while everyone else went and helped in the community. We all agreed that it was best to keep Hope away from the community. Things were dangerous enough as it was for Katniss and me; no one would even think to put Hope into greater risk then she needed to be.

As much as I wanted to stay home and get some private time with Katniss, that night Finnick would be running the first town hall meeting where the new community members could hear the progress and changes that would be made in the community. We had all decided Finnick would be the best choice for the job as he had been a well-known figure back in Panem. Finnick had really taken over the management of the community, and would easily be able to answer questions. I wanted to witness the first town hall meeting and see who the leaders amongst this new group were, but if Katniss wanted to stay back together I wouldn't put up a fight.

"As much as I would kill for a night to ourselves, I would really like to go to the first town hall meeting. I think Gale said he was going to stay back anyway and watch little Finn. I'm sure he wouldn't mind checking in on Hope every now and then."

"Well then, Mrs. Mellark, I believe we have a date."

Katniss's pov

The hall was filled with people. Every seat was taken and every window was blocked with bodies. Peeta and I moved unnoticed toward a back corner of the room, keeping our hands connected so we wouldn't lose each other in the crowd.

"What a crowd!" I shouted at him from a close range. It was so loud that you had to shout so the person next to you could hear your words. Peeta just nodded at me and pulled me against him when he found an empty spot against the back wall to lean against.

Finnick let out a loud whistle to gain the attention of everyone in the room, and slowly the rows of young adults went quiet. "Thank you, that's more like it," he commented after the room quieted down.

"As many of you know, I'm Finnick O'dair. In a previous life I was, for lack of a better word, involuntarily a public figure in a barbaric society that considered itself to be sophisticated and humane. I am no longer that person. If I were to guess, I would say most of you don't feel like the people you were when you lived in Panem, either. I have never known what it is like to be a slave, but I do know what it's like to suffer abuse, to not know what tomorrow may bring, and to stop fearing for your own life because you are too busy protecting the lives of those you love."

"I'm sure many of you are wondering what life here will be like for you. I can't tell you exactly what your experience here will be, but I can assure you it will be nothing like the lives you were forced to live before now. Here you are free. Here you can live and start a new life." He paused to stress the importance of the words he had spoken before he continued.

"Most of you have not been here for more than a couple of days but have already met the backbone of this operation, Peeta and Katniss Mellark. You all heard Katniss and Peeta's names before you came here, and have all listened to Peeta welcome you to the property and tell you about its features. Some of you may even have been lucky enough to have had Katniss give you your physical." He winked at me and I let out a little scowl. Peeta chuckled lightly beside me and gave my side a little squeeze.

"What most of you do not know, however, is that Katniss and Peeta voluntarily gave up the location of their hiding place in order to give all of you a chance at a new life. They spent their time, energy and resources on building this community for all of you. They have compromised their security in order to give all of you a place to go, a place you can call your own. I owe them my thanks, because everything they have done here for you they first did for me and my family. These are good people who have taken a chance on all of us when no one else would let us in."

He caught our eyes at the back of the room, telling us wordlessly that he meant every word he spoke. I had no idea he would be speaking about us and it was very humbling to here all the nice things he said about us. I didn't deserve the credit, the true power behind this was Peeta. I looked up at my husband and caught his eye. He kissed the top of my head in a quick sign of affection before he turned his attention back to Finnick.

"In return for their generosity they have asked something of all of you. They have asked for harmony and peace. They call this land home, and hope you will treat it as your home as well. Like in any American city, any major crimes will result in being turned over to the federal authorities. Acts of vandalism, theft, and other minor crimes will result in expulsion from the community. Gang affiliation of any kind will not be tolerated. If you are a member of a gang or are in the process of being inducted into a gang we strongly ask you to reconsider your allegiance. If we are not able to sway your decision, you may go in peace and we will be saddened to see you go. On these matters we have a strict no tolerance policy." Finnick cast his eyes over the crowd, stressing his point as he continued.

"We are aware that many of you may wish to join with the Panem Rebellion. While we understand your desires, we request that all rebel activity be conducted in Washington County. One of the Rebel organizers in America, Haymitch Abernathy, can be contacted easily once in Washington County. Should you decide to join with them you may still call this land your safe haven, however we are by no means a sponsor of the rebellion."

Just hearing Finnick mention the rebellion had my breathing coming harder and my chest constricting. Since Rory's death, whenever I thought of the rebellion, I just thought of how pointless death was for those too young to die. I also thought about the stabbing guilt of my untreated mother institutionalized in Panem. Had she been here in America, they could have treated her and brought her back to the woman I once knew. It was too late now, but at least I could comfort myself knowing she was safe.

"Our last request is one you may find odd. Katniss and Peeta Mellark are a couple who were unhappily thrust into the public eye as a repercussion of simply trying to do the right thing. They have been through many trials and tribulations in getting to this point, and on their behalf I am requesting privacy. Once Peeta and Katniss leave the community, please do not follow them home or request an invitation to their home. This is a security issue in addition to one of privacy. Also, please do not speak to the media about Katniss, Peeta or the community. If you are approached, we ask that you give broad, general comments or simply reply no comment. Now I will open the floor to questions."

"Yes, you sir in the front?"

"What do you mean no guns and no gangs? They're all over your fucking camp!"

That one line was all it took for shouts to start ringing out from around the room.

Prim's Pov

I listened to Finnick's speech from the shadows of the town hall porch. It was good. He was almost as charismatic as Peeta was, although he still lacked the gravitational pull of attention that Peeta elicited from crowds when he spoke. I ran my fingers along the edge of the porch rail as I thought about the past four days. Four days and over four hundred identity cards made. I only remembered a few of their names. Alright, I only remembered one, the one that left me dizzy with questions.

"Good morning, Primrose," Zeyer said as he met my eyes.

"How do you know my name?" I asked, shocked and a little nervous.

A look of disappointment crossed over his face briefly before he responded, "I saw you on the news the day of the train station press conference."

Oh right, the train station press conference, or better seared into my memory as the first day I had to wake up knowing I would never see Rory again. The day I killed his baby because I wasn't strong enough to save it. I visibly winced, and he thankfully dropped any further mention of that day.

"So, have you lived in the community long?" he asked me as I began to take down the information for his identity card.

"I don't live in the community," I replied back dismissively. My hands were shaking a little as I tapped in the information. I wish he wouldn't ask me questions because any I answered would only raise more.

"Alright," he said on a half smile. That's when I noticed he had a dimple in his right cheek. The fact that someone so tough and masculine-looking would have a childish dimple was an unexpected feature. Even more unexpected was that I had noticed it in the first place. That thought disconcerted me.

"Here you go," I said, practically shoving the identity card toward him like a weapon.

"Thank you, Primrose," he said, looking into my eyes again. His fingers brushed mine as he took the card from my hand and I saw the unmistakable edge of a tattoo sleeve under his shirt.

"Hopefully I'll see you around some time."

I hadn't responded.

A hand on my shoulder jolted me out of my memory. I turned around thinking it was Rue or Thresh coming to check on me, only to be confronted by uneven black hair, twinkling purple-grey eyes, and a right arm full of tattoos now mostly exposed by his short sleeve shirt. Zeyer, the boy I had been thinking about stood close and looked down at me. Although I suppose boy isn't the right word. His facial features held the innocence of a boy, but his eyes shown with the hardness of someone who hadn't been a boy for a very long time.

It was in the set of his face and his eyes; they were so different from Rory's boyish good looks. I shook my head trying to dislodge that spontaneous thought from my mind. How dare my subconscious even attempt to compare the two of them, even if it was on a purely physical level.

"Good evening, Primrose," he said.

Zeyer stood quietly, awaiting my reply. One of his eyebrows was raised ever so slightly as he waited. "Um… sorry… I was lost in my thoughts, I guess. Please, remind me of your name again?" His face broke out into a smirk as his black eyebrow rose even higher.

Did he know that I knew his name? Did he see my tactic for what it was? Which was just a way of keeping the situation impersonal, so I could keep my distance from him intact.

"It's Zeyer," he said with a low, smooth voice, like a strong wind brushing through the tall grass. "Why are you out here when you could be listening inside where it's warmer?" he asked. He had on a worn, white tee shirt and denim pants. A faded brown leather jacket was thrown casually over his left arm. It was pretty dark on the porch with only a small gas lamp by the door illuminating the area; I wished I was able to see the tattoos better in the darkness but my eyes just registered the markings as unidentifiable dark contrasts against his skin.

"I didn't realize it was cold," I replied, evading his question. I didn't want anyone to know that I had a fear of crowds ever since the train station day.

He nodded as if I had spoken my thoughts out loud and he understood my fear of crowds. I hated the feeling that this guy understood me and felt a slight shiver go through me as I tried to shake the uneasiness his presence created.

"I knew you were cold." He said mistaking my shiver as a sign of the chill in the air. He took his jacket off his arm and swung it over my shoulders. "Just wear it." He said as he saw me about to protest. I would have taken it off but it was warm and I liked the smell of him on it.

"I'm sorry for scaring you the other day, calling you by your name and all," he said conversationally still standing close.

"Oh, you didn't scare me," I replied a little too quickly.

He let out a low chuckle and said, "Oh yea? Then why have you run in the other direction whenever you see anyone who looks remotely like me since then?"

My eyes went wide. Oh my god, had he really noticed that? I wanted to lie and say that I haven't avoided him. I wanted to ask him why he was so self-absorbed to think that I thought about him and would go out of my way to steer clear of someone I didn't think about, but he would see through it.

Instead I shrugged and laughed softly. I guess I was caught. He laughed a little, too.

"Well, you gave off the creeper vibe. I couldn't help myself," I responded defensively. He smiled, amused at me, and I watched him scrape his cut and bruised fingers through his uneven hair.

"Well, you gave off the back off vibe, so I rose to the challenge."

"What challenge?"

"To make you smile, obviously. Your face wasn't made to look angry and pinched the way you had it when we met. I knew I'd prefer it when you smiled."

He hadn't given me a compliment per-se, but I found that I smiled a little anyway before averting my eyes. The noise level from inside the town hall rose in what sounded like an argument, but I couldn't really make out the words before Zeyer spoke again.

"Listen, I have to get going, I have an early day tomorrow. I just wanted to say hello again. I hope to see you around sometime, Primrose."

I watched him walk down the steps towards the men's dormitory. "Oh, and Primrose?" he said, turning around and looking up at me. The tips of his hair shone silver in the moonlight as he smiled at me.

"Yea?" I said amused.

"You have a killer smile," he said, turning around quickly.

I had tensed at the compliment but he was gone too quickly for me to rebuff it. I smiled in the darkness, thinking about how good it felt to smile before a voice had me turning around quickly again. I saw Johanna leaning against the far railing in the shadows. I hoped she hadn't seen Zeyer or heard our conversation. I didn't want anyone to look too closely into whatever THAT was, because it was definitely nothing.

"Well, well, well. My eyes must be deceiving me was that the Primrose Mellark actually flirting with a man not named Rory Hawthorne? It's a good thing Gale isn't here – he would have ripped your new friend to shreds."

"Shut up, Johanna, you know that was nothing. I just met him," I replied a little too protectively. The truth is her words shot straight to my heart and I felt guilt take over me. I hadn't been thinking about Rory nearly as much these past few days, and her words made that realization all the more clear.

"I know you just met him, but I also know that THAT" She tilted her head in the direction Zeyer had gone, "was definitely not nothing."

I felt shame run through me because she was right it wasn't nothing it was something. I didn't know what the something was but it had no right to continue. I was Rory's regardless of whether or not he was here with me.

"I'm surprised you noticed someone new, it's so…normal… of you.. I'm actually happy to see that you didn't have a relapse of depression after the stunt you pulled, kind of a miracle if you ask me. Do we have the flirtation with that boy to thank for that?" Johanna replied back.

"I'm not flirting with him and I haven't gone back into depression because of the medication." I responded back indignantly.

She gave me an incredulous look before she said, "Oh please, you tore off the patch." It was a statement not a question. I stiffened involuntarily and cursed myself for reacting to her words. How the hell did she know that?

"I don't know what you're talking about Johanna."

"Oh, cut the crap, Everdeen. You can fool every one else in the house, but don't insult my intelligence. Just admit it. You took yourself off the drugs."

I decided it wasn't worth it to fight with her. All she'd have to do was check the back of my neck to prove I was lying. "How did you know?"

"It's written all over your face, you're smiling for god's sake. You're expressing emotion- you're out of the numb – I can see it in your eyes, saw it a few days ago, actually. I'm impressed, you lasted a full week longer on it than I did," she said.

Wait, what? Johanna was on the anti-depressant patch? Why?

"Wait, you..?"

"Only Gale and Annie know. It was right after they shipped me back to America, I thought they were going to sell me back to... never mind. The point is yes, I chose your route, and they found me and slapped a patch against my neck and sent me on my merry way." Johanna attempted suicide? But she's so strong, I couldn't imagine her ever having given into the pain.

"Why would you?.."

"Try to kill myself?" she finished for me.

"See, this is why I wanted Gale to talk to you, he knows you, knows what you can handle." When I didn't comment she continued. "Here's the short of it. You, your sister, her cute blonde husband, and beautiful little baby, you guys don't know half of the shit that has been going on in this country. You think the government was bad? They were just puppets to the real players. Do you know why all the slaves were really released? Simple. The people who actually run this country wanted them to be. Underground factions, gangs, mobsters, whatever you want to call them, they are the ones who actually run this country."

I looked at her with wide eyes, still not really understanding. The closest things we had to gangs in Panem were the thieving street thugs, and I guess the rebellion, although I never thought of them as a gang.

"But what does that have to do with you?" I asked her.

"Who do you think bought me? Before they realized they could free the slaves and turn them into unpaid cronies one of the gangs bought me to serve them and their associates. They had.. eclectic tastes, shall we say… Anyways, after a few weeks of being chained standing to a wall I had finally managed to run. I went home and it was the worst decision I ever made."

"What happened, Jo?" I asked her quietly. She looked uncomfortable and close to tears. I had never seen Johanna cry and I wondered if she would let herself in front of me.

"They killed everyone, my whole family, right in front of my eyes. They were going to ship me back to the men that had bought me, but then the rebellion kidnapped me and stuck me on a train. They didn't tell me what was going on, they just threw me into the cold stock car. I thought when I got to the train station the men were going to pick me up. If my family wasn't safe anymore I didn't feel the need to suffer like that again, so I pried off a piece of metal from the side of the train car.."

She took a shuddering breath inwards, clearly reliving the ugly memory. I hurt for her.

"I was almost dead when Gale found me on the floor of the train car. He was supposed to bring me to Annie and Finnick's for safekeeping, but rushed me to the hospital instead. They slapped the patch on me and I went numb for a full week before Gale kissed me and... I had wanted to feel it." She shrugged as if she had no words left to tell.

Before I could say anything else, there was the sound of a bottle shattering against the wall. I flinched and Johanna quickly pulled me further into the dark of the porch. The town hall doors slammed open and three guys strode out of the doors. They didn't see Johanna and I standing in the shadows and walked past us obliviously.

"What a crock of shit. Like I'm just going to throw out my guns. Wait until the falcon hears about this one. What's worse, there are fucking unions here. I knew we should have gone to Jefferson to recruit, now we definitely have to fucking stay."

We listened silently as the three walked toward the woods, in the opposite direction of the men's dorms. Behind us the town hall was ringing in pandemonium from the constant shouting of questions. What was going on? And what were those guys talking about? What the hell was that, some kind of code? Who was the falcon? What were unions? What were these guys recruiting for? It was Johanna who spoke first in a low whisper.

"We need to get back to the house, Prim. Right now."

"But shouldn't we wait for Peeta and Katniss at least?" I questioned her. I didn't understand a thing those guys said, but whatever it meant it definitely scared Johanna.

"Do what you want. I'm getting out of here," Johanna said, swinging herself under the railing and jumping off the porch. Before I could tell her to wait she had already disappeared into the darkness.

Without really thinking about what I was doing, I ran after her, straight into the darkness.


	9. Chapter 9

Prim's Pov

"God, this was a dumb idea," I muttered to myself as I slapped another bug away from my ear. I had been walking in the dark for the past couple of hours I think. I ran in after Johanna, thinking like an idiot that she shouldn't go into the forest alone, and I ignorantly didn't think about what would happen if I didn't catch up to her in the first, oh I don't know, five minutes or so. The house was hidden as it is. I wouldn't be able to find it in the dark, but I only realized this after the first fifteen minutes or so, and by that point the lights of the town hall were nothing but a memory. I tried walking back toward it but I was never good with directions.

I decided that I wasn't going to get anywhere if I kept walking in the dark, and since it was starting to get cold I figured I should just wait until morning to find my way back. I found a dry patch of grass near the trunk of a rather large tree and curled further into the leather jacket Zeyer had lent me. I realized about an hour ago that I had forgotten to give it back to him, and was grateful now that he hadn't remembered he had lent it to me, either. I needed the warmth.

I was almost asleep when I saw something bright shine against the branches. I squinted my eyes to get a better look at who it was, but I couldn't make out the figures in the darkness. I got up to follow them a little, hoping to get a better idea as to who they might be and if they could help me back to camp. I was about to call out to them when I felt a large hand go against my mouth to stifle my shout.

Katniss's Pov

The wind was cool against my cheeks as I looked out on the balcony at the black waves breaking upon the silver sand. The town hall meeting had ended with an interesting twist and I didn't know where this new path we were walking would lead us. I prayed it wasn't disaster.

Warm arms wrapped around my waist and I turned slightly to see Peeta kiss the exposed portion of my shoulder. We stood together quietly on the balcony and I relaxed into the heat of his chest.

"It's amazing how small the ocean makes me feel. As if it gently mocks me as we try to do good. It's saying, 'You think you can make a change in the world? Little you? You can't change anything.' I always thought maybe it was my imagination, the gentle mocking, but now I'm not so sure. I think the ocean is right, I'm small, and my biggest mistake was getting wrapped up in thinking we could do something big."

"I don't think it's your imagination, but I also don't believe that we aren't capable of creating change. It just means we need help. I know you're going to think I'm crazy for saying this, but I think tonight was progress," Peeta answered.

"Progress? Are you insane? Someone threw a glass bottle at Finnick's head and close to thirty people stormed out the doors before the meeting had even come to a close!" I argued.

"Yes, that's true, but now everyone knows where the others stand," he said cryptically.

"What do you mean?"

"The gang leaders know how we feel about them, we know how they feel about us, and as for their would-be followers, well, we've finally given them a legitimate choice. They can live here peacefully without having to pledge their allegiance to a life of violence, or they can join an underground movement that will constantly question their loyalties and their willingness to upset the balance of society. So yes, progress, because before tonight these people only had one option, and that was to live a life in limbo. Only time will tell what happens."

I thought about what choice I would make if I were in the position of the others at the town hall tonight. I knew I would stay and try to move on with my life. The decision was so clear to me that I had a hard time fathoming the appeal gang life could hold.

"You know," Peeta said interrupting my thoughts, "I still have not taken you down to walk on the beach yet. I would say that a midnight walk is more then overdue."

I chuckled softly as he led me out of our room and down the hall toward the winding staircase that would take us to the beach. The symphony of night birds and invisible amphibians rang clear through the night, only to be interrupted by the pattering of our footsteps down the carved stone stairs. When we reached the bottom, Peeta instructed me to put my hands on his shoulders. When I obliged, he bent down and began to slip off my shoes.

"Now no more talk about the town hall. This is our time together and I want to see the look on your face when your feet touch the water for the first time. Besides, it's not a true walk on the beach until you've squeezed your toes in the white sand," he said by way of explanation. I couldn't help smiling down at him as he returned my now chilly feet to the cold stone step. After Peeta removed his shoes he placed both pairs in his left hand and took my hand with his right.

"You ready?" he asked me.

"Ready!" I said, feeling a rush of nerves and excitement at finally getting to walk on the beach. I took a little jump off the step and landed on the soft, cool sand. I let out a little breathless laugh as I buried my feet in it, feeling thousands of individual grains coming together to form a tickling cocoon around my feet. As we began to walk through it toward the waves, my thrill of finally being on the beach was overloaded with a hundred additional sensations.

The breeze in my hair, the salty aroma in my nose, the odd way of walking on the tiny dunes, and Peeta's warm hand in mine lent an air of magic to the beach I had never felt anywhere else. As we got closer to the water's edge I could clearly make out the black waves just before they crested and burst upon the shore. I let my feet rest just below the water line and squealed at the cold as it finally hit my feet, causing me to jump back.

The throaty chuckle of Peeta's laugh beside me made me look up to find he had been watching my antics at the water's edge. I gave him a shy smile, suddenly feeling self-conscious for some reason.

"Hey, hey, what's that? Don't stop on my account, I was enjoying the show," he said sweetly as he pulled me closer into his side. I felt his warm lips graze the side of my neck as his hands sketched the lines of my hips.

I pushed back against him and felt the harnessed strength of him behind my back. I turned in his arms and wrapped mine around his neck before I stood on the tips of my toes and pulled him down to me in an open-mouthed kiss. It didn't take long for the kiss to turn hotter, and without any recollection as to how I got there, I found myself nestled in the soft sand with Peeta's warm body on top of mine.

He kissed his way down my neck while his hands caressed my upper thighs from beneath my skirt. His hands pushed my inner thighs apart and I felt him sink between them, his solid weight pushing against me, causing me to moan at the feel of his warm body pressed so closely against mine.

"Kat, you're so beautiful," he saidsaid, bringing his hands up to cup my face before kissing me reverently. My hands slid beneath his shirt and traced the defined muscles that were hidden from me by his clothes. God, I missed having this man on top of me.

"I need you," I whispered against his mouth. He looked into my eyes questioningly, his irregular breathing panting out the unspoken question. Yes, here. Now.

His lips found mine again, more urgent this time, the carefully restrained need and passion released and flowing freely between us. My hands dipped lower and I found the fastenings of his pants and quickly undid them. His hands found the silk of my underwear, and I was only half aware of them being ripped along the sides as he bit down hard on my nipple. I cried out at the exquisite agony. Returning his mouth to devour my lips, he smothered my moan with a fervent kiss. I felt him hot and ready against me a moment before he pushed himself inside, the purposeful slide causing me to cry out his name as he moved further into me. Peeta let out a moan as our bodies completely joined. He put both his hands beneath me crushing me to him at the completion of every punishing thrust. I felt my body take him in even deeper and the relentless pleasure had me biting hard on my lower lip to keep me from screaming out.

Our pace was frantic and passion filled, both of us desperately trying to get closer to the other. My hands wound into his hair as our bodies found purchase in the sand, rapidly propelling us to our peaks. My body shook as my orgasm washed over me, climbing up and over me like the high tide to the shore. Peeta grasped me tighter to him as he reached his own climax, his arms holding me firm against him, allowing me to feel every crackle of energy that coursed between us.

A little while later, Peeta's hands loosened from around me and began to place calming strokes across my back. I leaned into him, my body completely relaxed against his. I felt an overwhelming need for sleep I had not felt in quite some time. The kind of sleep that comes just after a body is completely fulfilled. I barely noticed Peeta lift me and begin to carry me back to the house. I feebly offered to walk, only to be shushed back to sleep in the strong arms of the man I loved.

Peeta's pov

I laid Katniss down in our bed softly I wouldn't jostle her awake. She had been fast asleep by the time I had gotten her back to our bedroom and I had to lean her against me as I removed the sand from her clothing. I kissed her forehead and moved the blankets up to her shoulders before going to check on Hope in the connecting nursery.

The flashing light of my monitor nonchalantly discarded on the side table alerted me to a message. I opened it up quickly as I walked toward my daughter's dozing form. The monitor crashed to the floor as I stood frozen, absorbing the information. Hope began to cry at the loud sound and it brought me abruptly out of my daze. I picked her up and calmed her down quickly, imploring fate to let Katniss stay asleep. When Hope had quieted, I bent down to pick up the monitor and reread the message.

Loverboy-

I fucked up.

Can't find Cato ANYWHERE. Last saw him in my apartment 48 hours ago.

Will continue to look everywhere but in the meantime, be advised.

That pervert still has a misplaced vendetta against you

and a hard on for your wife.

Seriously sorry, will let you know the minute I find him.

Will call soon.

-C

I sat back and rested my head against the wall, Hope softly sighing near my ear. I put my hand to her head and brushed back her small cropping of hair trying to calm myself down. We could handle this. This wasn't like before, he couldn't hurt us now. He doesn't have the brains or the leadership to go after us on his own and Clove was already out looking for him. I told myself all of these things, willing them to help calm my anger and my anxiety. I repeated all the reasons why this changed so little on a loop in my mind, but nothing managed to calm me.

Now all I had to do was break the news to Katniss. I looked over the clock to see it was almost three in the morning. I sighed in resignation and put Hope back in her crib before moving to our room. Maybe I should let her sleep and tell her in the morning? I really wasn't sure. I had gotten into trouble in the past by keeping her unaware of this kind of news, only to have it come back and hurt our relationship. I didn't want to make that mistake again. I sighed and walked toward the bed, hoping that things would look better with the sunlight.

I woke to a quiet knocking on the door and opened my eyes to see Katniss in her white silk, floor length robe walking barefoot with Hope in tow to open the door. I groaned when I saw Thresh at the door, a severe frown on his face.

"Morning, Katniss. Peet, get up." I groaned audibly and came to stand behind Katniss.

"What's going on buddy?" I asked still half asleep – it couldn't be much later then six in the morning.

"Rue just got back from the community. She had been hanging out with some of the kids there and managed to get herself trashed."

"Sorry buddy, you want me to have a talk with her?" I asked interrupting him. I honestly didn't need to be woken at six in the morning for this.

"What? No. Last night when I did a house check before I went to bed, I had thought Rue and Prim were together in the community. But when Rue came in this morning Prim wasn't with her. Rue hasn't seen Prim since before the meeting. I looked everywhere. Prim didn't come home last night. Johanna, whos a mess by the way, mentioned seeing her on the town hall porch talking with a boy before she left."

My eyes shot open and I felt the adrenaline shoot up my back as I raced toward the closet to throw on clothes. I swore quietly under my breath. Prim was really turning into a bit of a pain in the ass.


	10. Chapter 10

Zeyer Pov

I had been running lookout for any Union activity when I saw them. The same three seedy Union recruiters that had been at the displaced persons camp outside the capitol had managed to migrate to the community to pick up new blood. They were marking trees with the metallic purple goop they had been using to mark the exit paths toward Union territory. I guess they had already managed to secure a base somewhere on the property. I just hoped that this time they hid it better, it would give me a few more days to hang low before I had to supervise the Tomahawks' raid on their camp. I know they didn't enjoy it when we blew up their last base while they were holding a new recruit meeting. Well, that's what they get, fucking American totalitarians.

I was trying to get a closer look at exactly what the synthetic material they were spreading on the trees was made out of when I heard a light rustling about three feet away from me. All I was able to recognize was blonde hair and my old leather jacket, but that was plenty of information to spur me quickly into action. I reached her just as she was about to cry out and give away our location. I grabbed her and pulled her swiftly behind the base of the tree, covering her mouth with one hand and wrapping the other around her waist securely. The shock kept her from fighting back, and I held us perfectly still while I watched their beams of light shine in the branches adjacent to our heads.

"Must have been another one of those creepy night birds. Let's go, we still have more ground to cover," one of them muttered to the other two. The voice sounded like the guy with the bloody tattoo on the back of his neck.

When I could no longer hear their movements in the trees I relaxed a little and took in some deep breaths. I looked into Prim's face to see she was looking at me with terror in her eyes. I realized I still had her completely pressed against me and my heavy breathing was pushing me harder up against her. I let go of her slowly, signaling to be extremely quiet.

"Zeyer!? What the hell was that for?" Prim hissed at me in a whisper.

"That was for your own protection!" I quietly shouted at her. I exhaled slowly. It wasn't her fault she didn't know what was going on, and I couldn't afford to be the one to tell her. I tried to calm down before I spoke again.

"Primrose, what are you doing out here?"

"I got lost. I ran after my friend Johanna and couldn't find my way home or back to the town hall so I figured I should sit and wait for the sun to rise so I could at least see where I was going," she explained.

Her shoulders were slumped forward, her head at a downward angle. I could tell by her demeanor that she regretted her decision so I didn't feel the need to make her feel worse than she already did. Her family must have been going insane with worry – I knew I should bring her home. The only problem was, I wasn't supposed to know where her home was exactly. Revealing that could get me into more trouble then necessary. I couldn't bring her to the dorms, and honestly if anyone saw us walking around the community at this time of night they'd think we must have a death wish. It was an unspoken rule that this time of night was reserved for mob activity. Should any Unions see us, they would assume we were part of a rival gang, which of course I was, but I couldn't let them know that. As for Prim, her hair would shine silver in even the dimmest light, so I felt like trying to head back to the community was a bad decision.

That's when it hit me – I could take her to the coast. It was close enough to her house that they could easily find her in the morning, and gang members weren't dumb enough to leave the cover of the trees. I could even manage a fire if there was any driftwood around. Without really thinking about what I was doing, I grabbed Prim's hand to pull her in the direction of the coast. When our hands clasped there was a small shock that caused her to jump back a little, but I didn't let go. Her hand was warm in mine, and I smiled secretly to myself thinking of how great it felt to hold her hand. I had wanted to do this for so long, and now that I was, I never wanted to let go.

I could tell she wasn't completely comfortable with me holding her hand but she wasn't going to let go, not in the dark when she didn't know where she was going. I intertwined my fingers with hers as we continued to walk. I tried not to worry that I might be pushing her too far too soon, considering how much she had been through in the past couple of months. I wasn't supposed to know about any of that, though, so I could continue to pretend that my intentions were innocent.

"Zeyer? Who were those guys back there?" Prim asked quietly as we continued to walk.

I debated how much I should tell her and settled on telling her almost the entire truth. "Those guys were recruiters for a gang called the Red Union. People refer to them as Unions for short. They are one of the most powerful underground crime groups in the nation. They control the majority of the potable water lines that supply the country. They have politicians, celebrities, and entire corporations that have secretly pledged their allegiance to the Red Union."

"Well, that explains some of what those guys were arguing about back at the town hall…but if they're so powerful, why are they recruiting here? We have nothing to offer them."

"Actually, they have every reason to be here. The Red Union believes in an authoritarian government, so even though they have many powerful connections in society they still aren't strong enough to go public with their future plans. They're here to recruit more bodies for their cause. You see, Panem refugees make great gangsters." When she looked confused I explained further.

"We're willing to do the dirty work just so we feel like we belong somewhere. Americans are too spoiled and arrogant to take care of the grunt work that runs an operation the size of the Red Union. Whereas Panem refugees have no qualms against being shoplifters, lookouts, graffiti writers, or illegal dealers because most of us had already participated in similar crimes just to survive while living in Panem.

At first they were just buying the Panem slaves and putting them to work on various low-end jobs they needed filled, but that was expensive and inefficient. So when Peeta pulled his move with kidnapping Katniss awhile back, they jumped at their opportunity and set the free slave campaign in motion."

She nodded in understanding as she began to comprehend what I was telling her.

"So, is the Falcon the leader of the Red Union? Like his nickname or something?" Prim asked me, catching me off guard.

"What? Where did you hear that?" I countered, buying myself time. She couldn't possibly know about the Tomahawk leader, could she?

"My friend Johanna and I were on the porch talking when some guys left the town hall meeting early. They mentioned how they weren't going to give over their guns because of the new policy, and that they were going to tell the Falcon. Then they said that there were Unions here and they should have gone and recruited in Jefferson," Prim said cautiously, seeing how I would react to the new information. I kept my face void of expression, even giving a slightly confused look at points.

I was going to pummel whichever guys spoke so openly in public , they knew better then to talk within the borders of the community about our gang.

"I don't know who the Falcon is," I lied, "but I don't think he's the Union leader," I responded casually. "As for recruiting in Jefferson, they might be talking about Jefferson County where the Panem rebel headquarters is. Other than that, your guess is as good as mine."

"How do you know so much about all of this stuff?" she asked me curiously.

"Well, unlike some people, I haven't been living under a rock," I said without thinking.

Shit, I hope she didn't read too much into that and realize that I knew where her family lived. I breathed a sigh of relief when I heard her chuckle. I was starting to get a little paranoid. This was by far the longest conversation I had ever had with Prim, and I was getting anxious about how comfortable I felt with her.

"What's that sound?" she asked me, referring to the waves surging onto the beach.

"It's just the ocean, we're getting really close. See, up ahead you can see the trees thinning."

"Why are we walking to the beach?"

Because it's right next-door to your family's secret hideaway, I answered in my head. "Because it was so much closer to where I found you and I couldn't very well take you back into the dorms with me," I replied in actuality.

"That reminds me, what were you doing out so far from the community anyway?" she asked.

I was saved from responding as Prim froze and covered her eyes quickly with her hands. "Oh, dear god," she muttered, turning away from the beach quickly.

"What…?" I began to ask, but then I saw. Thirty or so feet outside the tree line Peeta and Katniss were actively going at it on the beach. Well damn. It was nice to know married people still had fun, too. Although I guess technically they're not actually married, as all the celeb gossips like to point out. How American of them.

I looked back over at Prim to see that she still had her hands over her eyes and she was rubbing her palms against her eye sockets like she was trying to erase the image from her mind. I couldn't help it – I laughed a little, very quietly.

"In what world do you find this funny?" she deadpanned, still not taking her hands from her eyes.

"You have to admit, it's a little funny," I answered playfully. "Look on the bright side, they're not worried about you. They probably don't even know you never came home last night. In fact, if you stayed on the beach all night, they might not even realize you didn't sleep in your room."

"It wouldn't work, I have a roommate," she said, finally taking her hands off her face, but not turning back toward the beach.

"Who's your roommate?" I asked as I sat down against the trunk of a tree. If we were waiting, I may as well get comfortable here.

"Rue, do you know her?" she asked me, taking a seat next to me. There were three feet between us, but nonetheless, Primrose Everdeen had voluntarily sat down next to me.

"She's the little one with the springy curls and the dark skin who works in the commissary?" I asked, even though I knew exactly who Rue was. It was my job to know.

"Yep, that's her."

"Yea… she's not going to realize you're gone considering the fact that she's passed out drunk on the porch of the guy's dormitory."

"Wait, what? Rue? Are you serious?" Prim asked me incredulously.

I nodded. "I don't believe it…" she said, shaking her head laughing a little. It was a pretty hilarious sight, seeing the girl dancing on the porch railings before toppling over into some guy's arms and watching her hit on him with slurred words. It must have done the trick, though, because they were snuggled up nice and tight an hour or so later when I went to run perimeter watch.

"Well, believe it, Primrose. I don't make these things up," I responded.

"Why do you always call me Primrose? No one calls me that. You sound like my father."

I just shrugged. "You've never told me to call you anything different. What should I call you?"

"Prim. People call me Prim," she informed me.

"Well, Prim it is then," I agreed with a smile.

After a couple minutes of companionable silence, Prim said, "Umm Zeyer? Do you mind checking and seeing if they, um...if they're, you know…?"

"Done having marital relations?" I smiled wide when I saw how red Prim's face got. "Why Prim, I didn't take you for being a prude," I lightly teased her.

"Oh be quiet. I'm not a prude. It's just that's my sister and…can you just check?!" she responded exasperated.

I chuckled and stood up to look over the sand dune. Farther in the distance I could make out Peeta carrying Katniss over to the hidden stairway that led up to their house. Unfortunately for Katniss, Peeta seemed to have left her red panties behind in the sand.

"They're gone, but your sister seems to have forgotten an article of clothing," I said to Prim. Prim stood up and saw Katniss' discarded underwear on the side of the sand dune.

"That's so embarrassing for her!" she said, throwing her hand over her mouth. "I should really go get those for her…"

I watched her walk toward the beach and a bad feeling came over me. Sticking to my instincts I got low and surveyed the perimeter. There to the right, not fifty feet away, were three Tomahawks that had clearly broken rank at some point in the night. They were heading directly toward the dune Katniss and Peeta had just occupied.

I quickly grabbed Prim's hand and pulled her down beside me. She let out a little yelp of surprise and once again I covered her mouth with my hand. I brought my other hand to my mouth as a signal to remain silent as I continued to crouch low to the ground. She gave a slight nod to show me she understood and I lifted my hand slowly from her mouth. She turned her head to watch the men approach the beach. I felt her tense up and out of my peripheral vision I saw her eyes widen in what looked to be fear.

"That was so fucking hot," one of them muttered, making a humping motion. "Makes me want to go back to the dorms and find that insecure slut you fucked last night, Slash. I bet she wouldn't mind me taking her for a ride. What was her name again?" the dick with the shaved head asked Slash, the scraggly one with the pierced eyelids.

"Hell if I know her name. She sucked anyways, kept asking me if I thought she was beautiful. I finally had to tell her to just shut the fuck up. Nowhere near as hot as that fucking scene. I'll tell you this much, Katniss Everdeen is one fine piece of ass. If I was Mellark, I would have kidnapped her, too, so I could fuck her whenever I wanted," Slash responded, kicking sand as he walked.

"Well, I'm keeping these as a souvenir," the third Tomahawk I didn't recognize said, picking up Katniss' underwear and twirling them around his finger.

"Will you keep it down, dumbass? Their little hiding spot is probably nearby. We don't want the element of surprise wasted because you're too loud claiming the girl's ripped ass huggers," Slash replied, slapping his companion on the back of the head.

"Now let's circle this place, see what we can find. They disappeared up north of here," Slash said, spitting into the sand as he walked away.

We watched them go, neither of us moving an inch, but I could feel how tense Prim was next to me. When they had disappeared farther down the beach she spoke quietly to me.

"Those were the same guys who I heard talking as they left the town hall building. Who are they? And why do they want to find where we live?" Prim asked me quietly. I could tell she was nervous.

So those were the idiots that spoke openly in camp. Well, they were going to have their asses handed to them tomorrow after I filed a report against them. The truth was I had no idea what those three were up to, but I didn't like it. As far as I knew there was no reason that they were even supposed to be out this late, let alone on the beach casing the Mellark's house. Everyone knew tonight was a quiet night for the Tomahawks, especially after what was said in town hall about gangs lying low. Falcon was going to be pissed when he found out about these three breaking orders. I didn't know who their assigned superior was but I was thankful it wasn't me so I wouldn't have to deal with the fall out.

"I have no idea what those pigs are up to, but to be on the safe side I think we should wait here until it's light out to go onto the beach. I have no desire to run into those guys with you." Especially because they're probably packing a lot more weapons than I am, I thought.

"I'm okay with staying here, but aren't you cold? And I feel bad that you have to wait up with me all night. Didn't you say you had to get up early?" she asked me.

"Trying to get rid of me, Prim?" I said, teasing her by pulling on a lock of her hair. Even though the guys were gone, neither of us had gotten up.

"What? No! No, it's not that. I just…" We were lying side by side on our stomachs, looking at each other, and the position afforded me the ability to see every emotion play out on her face. Surprise, fear, guilt, happiness, guilt again, and finally she met my eyes looking confused, torn almost.

"I'm messing with you, besides I wouldn't leave you out here alone with those dicks walking around even if you asked me to," I said, bumping my shoulder into hers.

We talked about an array of different things while we waited for the sun to rise, until finally we fell asleep next to each other. I woke up with a start and looked over at Prim who was fast asleep, cuddled into my side. She had her arm wrapped around my waist and her head rested on my bicep. She was really beautiful, angelic with her soft features and delicate movements.

When she had told me about her trip into America and finding out about her boyfriend dying I wanted to hug her to me and take away her pain. I wanted to protect her, keep her happy and safe, which were some of the dumbest things I could wish for. No one in my position got to do what they wanted to do, they just had to do what they were told. Besides, if Prim ever found out who I really was and what I really did, she'd never let me near her again.

The sun was up and with it so was our time together. I knew this, but it was still hard to accept. I gave her a kiss on her forehead while she still slept before getting up and dusting off my clothes from sleeping on the ground.

I pulled a data plate out of my pocket and saw that it was a quarter to six. I could walk the beach with Prim until she made some excuse to take the staircase up to her house, and still make it to the barn to pass a message to the Falcon before anyone realized I was late reporting for work.

"Prim, it's time to get up. It's morning. I don't want your family to worry about you," I said, shaking her awake. She opened her eyes to look up at me and let an unguarded smile light up her face. That smile was all it took for me to realize that I had a decision to make. If I wanted a chance with Prim I would need to change who I was before she found out the truth, and I would need to do it quickly and without getting killed. If I wanted things to remain the way they were, I would need to avoid her from here on out. Easier said then done.


	11. Chapter 11

Prim's pov

The morning wind was chilly on my skin as I fought to keep my eyes focused ahead of me and not look back at Zeyer as he walked off in the other direction. I may not have been ready to admit to the feelings coursing through me after spending the night awake with him, but I recognized the early fluttering of something I was too afraid to name. I knew I would never love anyone the way I loved Rory, but I felt this pull toward Zeyer that terrified me. I didn't want to be happy again, not without Rory, and what scared me the most about Zeyer was that he had the ability to make me forget that. Being with him was making me happy; the problem was that after I was with him, I felt guilty about that. My shoes crunched in the dewy grass of the open field and provided background music to my thoughts. The quiet, steady rhythm made the sudden, piercing scream all the louder and unexpected, causing me to jolt from my thoughts and run toward the sound.

"Hey! What the hell are you doing? Let go of her!" I heard Peeta yell angrily as if in a struggle.

"Let me go!" Katniss' voice screamed in anger, quickly followed by a "Peeta!" filled with fear.

I ran closer to their voices as fear coursed through me. I didn't understand what was going on. I turned the corner in front of the house and saw Peeta on the ground, his body convulsing painfully from the shock of an electric stun gun. One of the gang members Zeyer and I had seen earlier on the beach was holding the gun and had it pointed at Peeta. Katniss was being carried by the other two men I had seen walking on the beach this morning. I ran after them and punched one of the guys carrying Katniss in the neck. I had caught him by surprise and he let out a scream of pain and dropped Katniss' legs. Before I could move to help her attack the other guy who held her I felt someone grab me from behind and fling me over their shoulder.

"We got them both! Let's get the fuck out of here," the guy with the pierced eyelids, who was still carrying Katniss, screamed. "Leave Mellark, he's just dead weight anyway."

I was screaming and kicking like crazy and so was Katniss. All we had to do was keep fighting to slow them down enough for help to arrive, we were still in front of the house after all. Suddenly my body was thrown to the ground hard, my right arm let out the unmistakable crack of broken bone. After I absorbed the impact I looked up to see my attacker fighting none other than Zeyer. My heart let out a cry of gratitude and relief as I saw him. He had come back. I watched Zeyer take a sharp right hook to the face and saw his nose begin to bleed. Without letting it phase him he returned the blow with a series of sharp upper cuts, quickly taking down my attacker. His chest expanded with his heavy breaths as he turned toward the man who held Katniss.

"Slash, you don't know what the fuck you're doing. Drop the girl," Zeyer said with a calm menace to his voice as he slowly rounded on the man who held Katniss. I didn't realize he knew the men on the beach, but hoped that maybe since he did know them, this Slash might listen to him.

"Shut the fuck up, Condor, you think I take orders from you?" Slash spat out at Zeyer. I didn't have long to contemplate the nickname Condor because I only then realized why Katniss was no longer struggling – Slash held a knife to her neck. I let out a small cry of panic that Zeyer noticed. When he tore his eyes to me his face was masked with focus and power and his words were bit out slowly with the air of authority as he turned back to Katniss' attacker.

"I don't know what kind of orders you're running on, but the Falcon has definitely not authorized this. Let her go, Slash. Now!" The last word was said so menacingly that I couldn't fathom that the man who had whispered funny stories to me for half the night was the same as the one speaking in front of me now. I crawled slowly towards Peeta who was conscious but still shaking heavily from the aftershocks of the stun gun that now lay discarded near him. I watched helplessly as the other two attackers ran into the tree line and to safety. I had thought about trying to hit them with the stun gun but they were clearly out of my limited shooting range.

Slash gave a gruesome smile and took a meaningful step back, forcing Katniss to move with him. "Shows how much you know. I know the Falcon's true desires, and I will be rewarded greatly for presenting him with these two trophies before he expected them."

"You're wrong, Slash. The Falcon has made it perfectly clear to me that we are to leave these people alone for the time being. Your ambition is jeopardizing everything we have worked toward. You were supposed to follow orders. Instead, not only have you given away our whereabouts to the Red Union by accosting this woman in broad daylight, but you've gone completely rogue as a Tomahawk. Drop the knife and I will make sure that you are not severely punished. I have that power, you know I do, but you need to drop the knife. If you harm her in any way there is no going back for you. Do you understand me, hawk?"

My mind couldn't process everything Slash and Zeyer were saying because my body was so seized with fear. I understood Zeyer had lied to me, but I couldn't concentrate on that tidbit in the midst of all this danger. What felt like hours, but was likely just seconds, of silence passed before Slash moved the knife and pushed Katniss to the ground in front of Zeyer.

"The Falcon will hear about the opportunity you have cost him today, Condor. You think this is the rebellion? You think the Falcon respects those who simply follow orders? No. The Falcon respects ambition and bravery, those who take the initiative. You'll be sorry you ever got involved," he said, before spitting on the ground and turning to run. In my anger I picked up the discarded stun gun and aimed it at Slash before pushing the trigger.

Slash had been close enough that the shot should have hit him and forced him to convulse on the ground, the way it actually happened could not have been more different. After I pulled the trigger not only did Slash continue to run unaffected but Peeta let out another cry of pain and jerked sharply on the ground adjacent to me.

"Prim, no! The Stunner is planted in Peeta's skin!" Zeyer yelled at me. In the distance I could hear Slash cackling as he ran. I was scared, angry and now mortified beyond belief.

"Oh my god, Peeta, I am so sorry," I said quickly while Katniss looked over Peeta's shaking body helplessly.

"Prim, go run and get help. Get Annie and a stretcher. Bring some shock absorbers, burn therapy and a defibrillator just in case. Hurry!" Katniss yelled at me.

I didn't have time to think. I did what she asked and ran behind the rocks that hid the stairway to our home and banged through the door at the top. I screamed for help and didn't stop until my voice ran out.

The morning passed in a blur of activity. The house was on high alert after I had come in running. Damien, Gale, and Annie came out quickly with a stretcher. Finnick and Thresh were close behind and provided necessary security; they held enough weapons to take down an army of a hundred. Even though I was in pain, Johanna and I moved Finn and Hope into the safe house and got ready to get Peeta into the infirmary. No one had to say it – we were going into lock down while we decided as a team how best to continue.

Everyone was clearly angry and on edge about the situation. I would catch angry comments being muttered as I passed by but no one would speak to me directly about it. I think they blamed me partially for the attack. I couldn't be sure but after they brought in Peeta I heard Damien mutter something like, "I'd just leave these animals and build a new fucking safe house for us," but Thresh quieted him down before I could hear the rest and replied by saying, "Not now, we'll talk at the family tribunal."

After Peeta was taken care of Annie came out to tell me how he was doing. The stunner had struck Peeta in the back and given him third degree burns at the entry points. He was tired and out of it from the attack to his nervous system, but otherwise was doing okay. He and Katniss, who only had a small cut on her neck from the knife, were resting together in their room.

My arm was broken and Annie set and wrapped it. She then administered a rapid heal prescription that was supposed to jumpstart the bone growth, before going to wait anxiously by the security room to see when Thresh, Damien and Finnick would get back from the community. They had all gone in armed together to pick up Rue, who was supposedly still asleep on the boy's dormitory front porch, completely oblivious to this morning's attack.

Everyone in the house was furious at Rue and I for staying out the entire night and putting everyone's safety in jeopardy. I didn't blame them for being angry with me, but I did blame Johanna for many of my mistakes. She should have warned us all about the gangs and the unions before last night. Her failure to speak up put us all in danger. I went through the safehouse to search for her and came across Gale standing in front of the door to the storage room.

"Hey have you seen Johanna?" I asked him uncomfortably. We had barely spoken to each other since I came to America.

"She's in the study with Hope and Finn," he answered with an edge in his voice.

"What's up with you?" I asked him confused by his sharp tone.

I was clearly asking about his mood but he answered me literally. "Why, I'm guarding your gangster boyfriend, since the little shithead can't be trusted. He's chained up to the back wall in the storage room right now."

I understood immediately. Zeyer. Zeyer was in the safehouse? I couldn't believe he was in our house, and after the conversation I heard between him and Slash outside I was uncomfortable with having him here. He knew too much, and whereas a few hours ago I could have trusted him, now I knew it was a mistake.

"You brought him into the safe house! Are you crazy!?" I said to Gale, fuming now. I decided to ignore the boyfriend comment as it was ridiculous and it hurt to have Gale even suggest I could have feelings for someone other then Rory.

"Calm yourself. He came with us willingly and blindfolded. I checked him for trackers and he was clear. We couldn't just let him go seeing as it was his gang that attacked the three of you," Gale responded, a little calmer. I could see he was trying to control his temper so I decided not to push him.

"Move aside, I'm going to talk to him," I said, trying my best to keep my frustration in check as well.

"You really think that's a good idea, Prim?" he asked me with an arched eyebrow. I didn't answer him. "Fine, but I'm going in with you and we're locking ourselves in with him. If that bastard tries anything I'll be armed and he won't have anywhere to go."

I nodded in agreement before taking a deep breath and entering the room. Zeyer was hunched over on the floor with his head in his hands when I entered, refusing to look up. Only after Gale turned on the light, shut the door and locked us inside did he look up. He seemed surprised to see me.

"How are you feeling?" he asked me looking at my broken arm. His face held a quiet smile that was far too innocent. I suddenly felt an emotion well up in me that I hadn't experienced in a long time; some might call it anger, but for me it was borderline rage.

"I'm fine, Condor. Thank you for asking," I replied with a sarcastic sting in my voice. He had the decency to at least look guilty.

"Prim, what do you want me to say? It's not information I could have readily volunteered about myself," he admitted in a defeated tone.

"So, are you a good gangster or a bad gangster?" I asked mockingly, trying to give him a shot to come clean.

"I'm not sure anymore," he confessed, meeting my eyes. The emotions I saw in his made me all the angrier. He had no right to look at me that way, like he cared about me. Like he was sorry. I knew it wasn't real, he was just following orders.

"What the fuck kind of answer is that, shithead, and don't look at her that way or I'll break your face." Gale said angrily from the corner to Zeyer. Even though Gale's comment annoyed me he was just trying to protect me so when I saw Zeyer gearing up to answer him it was Zeyer I attacked. I may not be to thrilled with Gale right now but on this we were aligned.

"He's right. Don't look at me like that, you have no right too. You're a liar and a traitor. I feel like an imbecile for trusting you. I thought…I honestly thought for a minute there that you were a good guy, that you could be my friend. Turns out you're one of the low-life gangsters you were warning me about. Gain little Prim's trust, make her feel special, until the time was right for the Falcon, whoever the hell he is, and kidnap her just like all the other orders you follow. That about right?" I choked out as I held in angry tears.

"Prim…I... It's more complicated than that. There's so much that you don't understand. That I want to tell you," he pleaded.

"There's nothing fucking stopping you." Gale spit back with venom. I turned to look at Gale briefly telling him with my eyes to back off and that I could handle this. He begrudgingly gave a small shrug and took a step back allowing me to continue.

"So explain it to me then, Condor, Tomahawk, whoever the hell you are," I suggested, feeling the tears stinging the back of my eyes. I couldn't cry, not in front of him and definitely not in front of Gale.

"So, I guess you've figured out at this point that I'm a member of the Tomahawks, the rival gang of the Red Union, made up mainly if not solely of Panem refugees," he said slowly.

"Go on," I replied angrily.

"What do you want me to say?" He looked almost defeated.

"Tell me the complicated part! Tell me why you lied! What you do! Why you even joined a gang in the first place!" I yelled at him.

"I joined because I believe in the cause." He answered back vaguely.

"And what mighty cause is it that the Tomahawks believe makes them so superior to the Red Union, or any other criminal gang, hmm?"

"The Tomahawks believe in the unification of Panem and America. They want to get rid of both countries' systems. No more profitalism and no more dictatorship. Profitalism is basically a watered-down version of anarchy at this point, and that doesn't work. We have figure-heads who don't do anything. Laws that are rarely enforced, and at the end of the day everyone suffers because of it. I don't have to go into detail to you about how screwed up Panem is. Did you know that they're still selling people from the districts to people in the capital? So Tomahawks want to unite what's left of the old lands and reestablish a true democracy, the way it once was. We're only criminals because we need a way to fund the cause, and sometimes it isn't legal to protect ourselves, but I don't participate in any of that anymore."

"So then what the hell is it that you are doing now, Zeyer? And why not just join the rebellion?"

"I didn't join the rebellion because my heart isn't fully in it. The rebellion's main goal is to overthrow the Panem government and release the oppressed citizens of the districts. I can guarantee you every person fighting in that rebellion has a loved one still waiting back home. That's how they ended up slaves to begin with, don't forget. I don't have a family, so it's a different level of loyalty. The Tomahawks have a larger plan, but still consider the rebellion their allies. There are a lot of people who fight in the rebellion who are also members of the Tomahawks," Zeyer responded smoothly.

"And there are more then enough that don't." Gale spit back at him from the corner of the room.

"Well, that answers one part of my question but not the main one. What the hell is it that you're doing now? Why were you out last night in the first place, Zeyer? What's your supposedly 'legal job' with the Tomahawks, hmmmm?"

"I can't tell you that. I did what I had to do to protect you, it wasn't even a choice!" he yelled back at me.

What the hell was he talking about? What did he mean it wasn't a choice? And how did his choices have anything to do with protecting me? He was talking in riddles and I didn't like it.

"What the hell does that mean? No choice? Protecting me?

He was silent. "Tell me," I said again.

"I can't," Zeyer said, looking uncomfortable.

"Why not?" I demanded.

"Because you would hate me."

I laughed snidely. "We may have already crossed that bridge. So what do you have to lose? Try me," I spit back.

"Some of the things I would have to tell you are not for me to tell," he said.

"Then tell me what you can tell me."

He let out a soft laugh that threw me off guard in the midst of our heated conversation. It was quiet for a few moments while he let my request hang in the air. His face was pale and he was biting his bottom lip hard. I could tell he was having an internal argument with himself and watched, fascinated, as he worked his way to a decision. He looked me in the eyes before he spoke, his face was twisted in what looked like pain.

"I can't tell you anything else." He replied back quietly.

"Then we're done here. You can rot in here for all I care." I said, fuming, and turning around and grabbing the key from Gale to unlock the door myself. When it was open I handed the key back to Gale.

"Prim, please wait. Please don't go like this." Zeyer said from inside his makeshift cell.

I kept walking and refused to look back.


	12. Chapter 12

I looked over the expanse of mountains as the sun set over the ocean on a perfect day. It had taken a little while to cultivate this feeling of peace that had felt impossible to attain just three short weeks ago. Back then I didn't think I would ever be able to take pleasure in the breeze on my face as I watched the sunset. I had thought I would be confined to the safe house, weighed down by my fears. I could never have imagined then the freedom I feel now.

The fear that had gripped us all in the days after the attack outside our home was still fresh in my memory. Before the attack, our naiveté was so great that we truly didn't feel that the strangers we had invited into our lives were going to be a credible threat. My fears revolved around Cato's retribution, Pro-slavery activist backlash, and consequences of a rebellion brewing in my home country. How wrong I had been. How wrong we all had been.

Our small-mindedness resulted in our inability to grasp the full scope of the danger that we faced in response to our actions. The celebrity Peeta and I shared as "America's favorite couple" was a greater risk to us than we could have imagined. Not to mention our obliviousness to the dark side of America, the Gang Societies. I just never thought that the people we tried to help would ever try to hurt us. I had clearly been wrong.

In my short year living in America I had thought the country's failure resulted from the absence of a balanced government and fair, binding laws. In reality, the country's failure came from the secret gang wars and the exploitation of the few illegal acts that existed in America. One would think that with a society built on profitalism, where society was set up so that every man had the opportunity to gain and trade freely, the few rules in place would actually be upheld. Apparently, asking citizens to not kill, not steal, not bribe and not trade weapons of mass destruction was too much of a burden to place on their shoulders. By allowing such open and free trade it pushed gangs into dealing with the dirtiest of crimes. I guess people will always find a way to cut corners in order to get ahead. Which is exactly what those three boys had planned to do.

The attack on our family in front of our home had been for one purpose only: greed. Three power-hungry Panem refugee Tomahawk gang members had decided to try to jump ahead in their rankings by bringing Prim and I to their gang leader. I could only assume that from there we would have been ransomed back to Peeta or a higher bidder. The kidnapping would have been met with approval because even though it is illegal it would have brought in money for the Tomahawk cause and the end would justify the means. In the minds of these criminals, the end would always justify the means. I shuddered to think about what would have happened if Zeyer hadn't come to help us.

I still don't understand the motives behind Zeyer's actions. From his confession to us, he himself is a Tomahawk, yet he came to our defense over those of his partners in crime, his fellow Tomahawks. Gale thought Zeyer did it to keep the balance of power. Apparently Zeyer is ranked higher than the three boys who attacked us and Gale felt Zeyer wanted to remain the higher rank. Finnick believed it was to keep the peace in the community. Damien felt that he did it to keep the Tomahawks anonymous and not reveal their leading officers to the Red Union. Out of all of us, only Rue felt he came to our defense because he thought it was the right thing to do.

I still didn't know what to believe. It seemed to me that Zeyer Pannone was a walking contradiction. He's a Panem refugee and a high-ranking gang member of a gang who came to our defense instead of his fellow gang members'. He had come willingly when we locked him in the strong room for questioning and had returned Prim to us unharmed before the attack. Even after all this, though, it was clear there were many important things this guy was hiding, and the mystery surrounding him still marked him as untrustworthy in my mind. After I spoke with the others it was clear that I wasn't the only one who felt that way about him, as was evidenced the night of the tribunal when everyone let his or her opinions be known.

I shivered involuntarily as I thought about that heated night. The night after the attack, the entire house had come together and formed our first family tribunal in an effort to hear out every stakeholder's opinion and come to some kind of clear direction or decision. The fear and the anger had been so palpable in the room that everyone I loved was on edge.

I had been numb at the time, my fear so consuming that I had been unable to really process everything that was being discussed. Peeta had received severe burns and his system had still been adjusting itself, which caused him painful muscle spasms and severe fatigue. Every time his body would spasm it would bring tears to my eyes. It wasn't fair that someone whom I loved, someone who had done so many selfless things for others, should have to suffer like that.

Damien had gone first because it was his idea to call the meeting. His point of view had been met by a couple agreements, a few disagreements, and one or two bursts of outrage.

"Let's just turn him over to the cops and let them handle it. Best case – we just turned him over to his Red union enemy, if what he said about them controlling so much of the government is true, and worst case he's still out of our way and setting an example for the entire community," Damien had said bluntly to the entire group.

"While we're at it, let's send them all back to where they came from. We don't owe these people anything. We have all sacrificed plenty to give them this chance at a better life. They fucked it up and there are consequences. Let's kick them all out and maybe we can add in some new security measures and a real interview process BEFORE bringing back a few of them to live on our land."

"Damien, no offense but are you INSANE?" Rue countered, her sweet nature peeled back to reveal a strong and opinionated core I had not expected. "Three boys. Three stupid, scared, and misguided boys, should not trigger a decision to send over five hundred well-meaning refugees back to a life of suffering. We are all these people have now. They probably can't even go back to the displaced persons camps that were set up for them now that they've left. It's not like they knew what those boys were up to; most of them probably don't even know who those boys are. As for Zeyer, the guy rescued Katniss and Prim and while I agree it's weird and he's clearly hiding something, actions speak louder than words. We can't send him away just for keeping secrets. We'd be punishing him for helping us when he could have done nothing and we would never have bothered him."

"Rue, that's enough out of you. Your opinion doesn't hold too much weight after how we found you this morning. You're on extremely thin ice as it is. This entire attack could have been avoided if you hadn't decided to pick last night to stay out and find yourself a boyfriend," Thresh admonished with a quiet tone that accentuated his anger.

"You put everyone at risk by not returning home with Prim last night. The only reason those boys had the opportunity to attack Peeta and Katniss was because they ran out looking for both of you before the rest of us. So no, Damien is not insane. He was actually here and witnessed the immediate aftereffects of the attack those 'three stupid boys' pulled this morning. And where were you that entire time? Passed out drunk and half naked on a porch in the arms of someone who wouldn't even be here if Peeta and Katniss hadn't given him a chance."

Rue had tears of anger and embarrassment in her eyes and I could tell she was taken aback by the harsh words her brother had spoken to her. I had expected her to fight back but she remained stone still with her nostrils flared.

"We know we messed up last night, but it's not fair to place all the blame on us when so many factors went into this morning's attack. Our mistake definitely shouldn't render our opinions any less meaningful than anyone else's," Prim had replied to Thresh in Rue's defense.

She had been sitting on the floor in the corner of the safe house great room where the meeting was held and had remained quiet up until that point. She hadn't really spoken to me since the attack but it was clear that she was taking it especially hard. From what I had witnessed no one had actively blamed her for disappearing last night. What I found interesting, though, was that she still included herself in being partially responsible.

"You could make a strong argument for every person's opinion thus far, but there's no reason for us to turn on each other and start pointing fingers in the room." I hadn't seen it at the time but apparently at Prim's comment Johanna made some kind of face that caused Prim to snap. I definitely had not expected her severe mood swing.

"What? What Johanna? What was that for? Or would you like for me to start pointing fingers at the real reason I was out all night? Or how about the reason why we weren't prepared for the gang attack, or how strong the gangs were in the first place? It's really too bad that no one in our entire group had inside knowledge about the gangs, isn't it Johanna? If I found out that someone in our group had personal knowledge of the threats the gangs posed to our way of life I would have expected them to come forward months ago with that information, when we were making the decisions to let strangers into our land in the first place. In my mind, anyone who kept that information from the group would undoubtedly be responsible for any harm that may have come to the group at the hands of the gangs. Wouldn't you agree, Johanna?" Prim replied with acid in her voice.

"Unfortunately, I don't have answers to your questions, sweet Prim, but maybe your gangster boyfriend who's currently locked up in the storage room could shed some light on the situation. From what I understand, that was the real reason you were out all night," Johanna snapped back.

"You don't know what the hell you're talking about, Johanna, considering that I got lost in the woods chasing after you! I wouldn't have made it back at all if Zeyer hadn't found me in the first place. You hadn't even cared enough to see if I had gotten back last night after you heard me calling after you!"

"Jo had every reason to run last night, Prim. There are some things you just don't understand. She was in no position to check after you or anyone else last night. She left in an act of self-preservation you can't blame her for that. It took half the night just to get her to calm down, all right? " Gale interjected, surprisingly calm for Gale.

"Like hell I can't blame her!" Prim shouted, tears appearing in her eyes.

"Alright, that's enough. Prim, you had the right idea in the beginning, let's not point fingers. We didn't come together to fight, we came together to make a collective decision based on what's best for the group. Our first priority is obviously all of our safety, which has currently been compromised, as we are all aware. So let's start coming up with answers to our problems instead of hashing them out, shall we?" As usual, Annie piped in as the voice of reason.

I was still too numb to contribute to the conversation but I was thankful for Annie stepping in. I was exhausted and I could tell Peeta was barely holding on next to me. His pain and fatigue were reflected clearly in his eyes as he looked at me. I ran my fingers gently over his face, feeling the need to soothe him in whatever way I could. I wanted the meeting to end quickly so I could take him back to our room to rest.

"Since technically I was in line to speak after Damien, I would like to review some of the options that are on the table before I give my opinion. There are both short-term and long-term solutions that need to be addressed, but considering the stress of today I suggest we attempt to handle the short-term problems only tonight. We have very few legitimate options given the size of our group and the refugee situation, but the main concern here, as Annie pointed out, is our continued safety. These are the options as I see them. Our first option would be to remain in the safe house on lock down until we have worked out how we are addressing the long-term solutions. Our second option is to expel all of the refugees who have recently been admitted and in a week or so continue with our regular lives. Third, we could all simply leave and attempt to make a new life. Lastly, we could implement a combination of our options. Those who are at the most risk could leave the estate for a brief period of time while those of us who are less at risk could attempt to establish a peaceful community."

"What are you suggesting, Finnick?"

"I'm suggesting the last option. We are all angry and we are all scared, but we can't forget that these people are our people. Most of them, I like to believe, are innocent people who just want to begin a new life. However, it is not worth putting our family at risk. Katniss, Peeta, I think of both of you as family. You have opened your hearts and your home to all of us when you had no reason to and you were repaid by being attacked on your own land. Peeta, you need rest and relaxation after your recent injuries. Let the rest of us take care of these problems in the meantime. You have done so much, you both deserve some time away. Take the van and take Hope and leave this behind for a while, you both deserve a vacation."

I was stunned at what Finnick had suggested. Leave home? I had to admit the idea of leaving all of our worries behind was enticing but I still had some reservations. Peeta would never be comfortable leaving our responsibility on others' shoulders, and how would we even be able to leave?

"Are you sure? Is it even safe? How would we leave?" I asked skeptically.

"If you keep the car on invisibility and don't travel toward any of the cities it would be safest for you to both disappear for a little while. As for the rest of us, we're nowhere near at risk the way America's favorite couple is. We will still be able to communicate through the secure monitors and consult you on all decisions. What does everyone else think?"

I listened as a few people agreed. Damien mumbled a, "Well, it's a start." I looked to Peeta to see what he thought about all of this.

"Do you really think it best for us to leave?" I whispered quietly to him while the others around us continued to talk. He nodded without breaking eye contact. Truth be told, the stress of the community had taken such a toll that I had wished we could somehow disappear from it all. The idea that just the three of us could take some time away from the problems surrounding us was almost too much to hope for. I couldn't believe how easily Peeta had agreed to leaving. He must have been just as anxious to leave this all behind as I was.

Peeta turned to look at Finnick. "We'll go."

Two days later we had established a short term plan of attack and were ready to leave. Finnick would take charge of a secondary review process while Damien and Thresh would interrogate Zeyer to release the names of all known gang members. If Zeyer was as high up in the gang society as we believed him to be, he would not only know his fellow gang members in the community but many of his enemies as well. It was still undecided how we would handle Zeyer by the time we left. Prim, Rue and Johanna were all banned from going to the community without another member of the group. Everyone decided that because of their past actions they would not be trusted to be in the community without supervision. After a little time, the girls begrudgingly agreed.

So we left. The first week was simply spent driving and resting. It was peaceful and much needed. Peeta had needed a lot of care due to his wounds and the van provided the perfect space for recuperation. We spent time as a family. We took thousands of pictures of Hope and recorded her laughter to send to the others. By the end of the week, Peeta was feeling well enough to make love to me again and I have to admit those were the times I was the most thankful for the van. The privacy was the greatest gift we had been given. We had settled into a perfect routine where we enjoyed all of our favorite things throughout the day.

"It's almost like a honeymoon." Peeta had said into my ear one night after we had made love. I had been lying naked on his chest while his fingers played with the loose strands of my hair.

I smiled against his chest as I thought about all that we had been through together and how we somehow managed to be better off than we were before. "A honeymoon, hmm? Do people usually take their children on their honeymoon?" I said teasingly as I looked over at the far side of the car where I knew Hope was in a deep slumber.

I felt his body shake as he chuckled. "I said almost," he replied teasingly. "Besides, one day, after things get settled and we sign that little piece of paper, after I announce to all of our friends and family how much I love you, after I undress you from a beautiful white gown and take the flowers out of your hair, after all of that, I will take you on a real honeymoon, just the two of us." Then he kissed me deeply and let all of the love we felt for each other wash over us.

I was jolted from my memory by the telltale crunching of Peeta's feet against the graveled path. I looked up at him as he came to sit down next to me.

"We woke up and wanted to see you," he said as he handed me our daughter. I gave her a kiss on the head as I took her into my arms. I shifted her over into my other arm so I could take Peeta's hand in mind. "What a beautiful sunset," he said quietly. "I'm sorry to say that it's one of the last ones we'll get to enjoy on our own."

I gave him a questioning look before he replied. "I just got off the secure phone with Finnick. He thinks that it is safe for us to come back if we're ready."

"Are you ready to go back?" I asked him cautiously. I had mixed feelings about returning home. I missed our friends and family, but this time together free from fear and stress was something I would never be ready to give up.

Peeta let out a small laugh. "I will never be ready to go back. This time with you has been…unbelievable," he said as he caressed his lips against my cheek.

"I was just thinking the same thing," I said before I kissed him lightly on the lips. "But…?" I prompted after we finished our kiss.

"But… it is probably for the best that we head back. Apparently a lot has changed in the community since we left."

"Really? Like what?"

"I'm not really sure, Finnick wouldn't tell me." He smiled at me.

"Ah, so he's using curiosity to bribe you back home," I said teasingly.

"That, and we only have about a week or so left of supplies. What do you say? Ready for home?" he asked as he cupped my cheek with the palm of his hand.

"No, but I'll probably get used to the idea once we run out of food," I laughed.

"Well, we have a few days before that happens and I happen to know the perfect way to pass the time on the drive back…" Peeta murmured just before he drew me in for a long deep kiss.

I had a feeling I would enjoy the drive back very much.


	13. Chapter 13

Peeta's pov

It was late by the time we finally pulled up into the safe house garage. Night had fallen and we were able to see the flickering lights from the community in the distance. Both Katniss and I were wildly curious to see for ourselves the changes that were made in the community. All we knew was that things were safe enough for us to return; other than that Finnick had kept the details quiet.

"Trust me, it will be better if you both see for yourselves when I explain." He had said to me on the phone. That was two days ago, but we had gotten all the more anxious as time went by.

When the garage doors sealed shut I opened the car door and helped Katniss out. She had Hope in her arms. She had finally fallen asleep as we drove onto the property after being fussy all day. We think she could have a cold. It would be nice to be back in the house so we could ask Finnick and Annie parenthood questions again.

I opened the door and walked down the hall to the great room with my hands full of our bags and stopped dead in my tracks when I saw the state of the great room.

"Welcome Home!" Various shouts screamed out from around the room. I felt a smile spread across my face as my friends and family came to greet us.

"What the heck is all this?" I said as I accepted multiple hugs. The walls were strewn up with various different signs that read everything from "We missed you!" to "Don't tell us! Your pregnant again!"

They all overlapped on the wall underneath a giant banner that said "Welcome Back Mellarks!" Underneath it everyone had signed their names, including what looked like several hundred signatures from the refugees.

"What? You thought we'd just let you sneak in the back and then go about business as usual? We missed you! Besides, we had a blast decorating the place. We needed to wait up to make sure you would clean up the mess," Damien responded playfully. It was good to see my brother.

The air in the safe house had changed since we had left, I noticed as Katniss and I took a seat on the couch and talked with our friends. The atmosphere wasn't tense and somber but happy and warm, like the home it was intended to be. My smile remained plastered to my face as I took in all the other little changes.

Gale and Johanna had been friendly upon our arrival, but had since distanced themselves to the other side of the room as they listened to the conversation. Gale seemed happy enough, but Johanna looked like she had lost some weight and she wasn't making eye contact with the group. This was an interesting change for Johanna. I wondered what brought that on.

Finnick and Annie looked extremely happy but both looked tired. Finnick had dark circles under his eyes and they looked bloodshot. They must be tired from the long days they've put into the community, and I'm sure waiting up to greet us hadn't helped any.

Then there was Prim. Although still shy and fragile, something seemed to have altered in Prim. She sat close to us and held Hope on her lap while everyone talked. She didn't volunteer information, but she did answer direct questions. Her hair was a healthier color and her hollowed cheeks had filled out some. When she caught me looking at her she gave me a timid smile. I smiled back.

Rue and Thresh were on opposite sides of the couch and seemed to be avoiding each other, if that was possible. The only interaction they seemed to have with each other was when Damien posed the same question to both of them. I guessed there was still some tension left there from the family tribunal.

"So, will you please tell us about the community now!" I said to Finnick.

"Seriously, we have been dying of curiosity! Just tell us a little bit," Katniss chimed in next to me.

"Nope. We aren't saying anything until tomorrow morning when we take you on the grand tour. We have a whole day planned and we're not ruining tonight by talking about those plans. All I will say is that a lot of changes have been made since you guys took off."

"And not just in the community," Annie piped in cryptically.

Out of the corner of my eye I could see that Johanna looked slightly uncomfortable.

"Yeah…actually Peeta, Katniss, if you're not too tired, Johanna and I wanted to talk with you," Gale said, taking Annie's subtle cue, I assumed.

"So do Prim and I, but we can talk to you both after," Rue interjected quickly.

"Sure…" I said, unsure all of a sudden about what Gale and Johanna could possibly want to say to us that they didn't want to say in front of the group. Finnick and Annie said goodnight and headed for bed, but not before Annie gave Katniss another warm hug. "I'm so glad you're back," I heard her whisper before catching up to Finnick by the bedroom hallway.

"Yeah, I'm beat too," Damien said, getting up and stretching out his arms. Thresh hadn't moved. "Thresh, come on," Damien ordered when he noticed as well. When Damien and Thresh left the room, Rue got up with Prim and they said that they would put Hope in her crib and then come back. Everyone was clearly giving Gale and Johanna privacy to say whatever they wanted to say. I was more curious then ever.

When the room was completely cleared out of everyone else, I was surprised to see that Johanna was the one who stopped in front of us and spoke. She looked at Katniss and I before she cleared her throat and began.

"Welcome back… You guys look great…. Um...I wanted to thank you for everything that you both have done for me. I was always a straggler with this group and neither of you ever suggested that I leave. So… thanks. I wanted to…to apologize sincerely for putting you both in danger. I had been bought by a gang and knew a lot of valuable information that could have protected us[MB1] . I should have talked about my story, and I didn't. By not informing anyone, I allowed us all to be vulnerable to an attack and you guys paid the consequences.. so..yeah.. I'm sorry about that.

I was floored, and by the wide-eyed look on Katniss' face, so was she. I had never heard Johanna apologize and I certainly had not been expecting it when she started to talk. On top of that she had thanked us for including her. I was absolutely speechless. I looked over at Gale and saw the small smile he had on his face. He looked like he was proud of Johanna. This must have been difficult for her to say, so instead of making it even harder I made sure to answer for us quickly.

"Thank you, Johanna. Apology accepted. I know it took a lot of courage to say anything at all so we thank you for that, too." Johanna gave us a small nod before she gave a pleading look to Gale. I guessed he had put her up to this. Gale just nodded his head and Johanna got up and ran to their room without even saying goodnight. Gale laughed quietly to himself as she left.

"I also owe you both an apology. Peeta, Catnip, I never acted like a member of the team, but took full advantage of the perks. I'm sorry about that. I thought now might be a good time to explain some stuff I should have told you guys about a while back," Gale said. "Johanna is...well, she's a piece of work, but you guys already know that," he said with a smile. "Anyway, she is how she is because of what she went through before getting sent to Finnick and Annie's. I never really explained our relationship to you two, and I know I should have."

"Gale you don't have to explain anything to us, it's not our business," Katniss replied.

"No, Catnip, it is. We were close once, you and I, and even though I gave you a ton of crap about baker boy over here you haven't ever confronted me about Johanna and I appreciate that. See, about a week after you guys booked out of Finnick and Annie's place awhile back I went with Annie to pick up the refugee from district seven. You know, the one they told us about, girl who escaped and they killed her whole family and she got caught by peacekeepers?"

Katniss nodded slowly as she began to understand.

"Yeah, that was Jo. Anyway, Haymitch, that drunken idiot, just had his guys throw her on the train and by the time she got to America…," Gale shook his head somberly as he recalled the memory. "She was in bad shape, really bad shape. Prim and the pills bad, maybe worse. Annie and I took her to the hospital, got her fixed up, and brought her back to the inn. She couldn't sleep alone so I slept on the couch in her room. Anyway, one night I woke up with a hand covering my mouth and Johanna was standing there stark naked and..."

"Seriously, Gale, we don't need to hear about this," Katniss thankfully stopped him. I also had no desire to hear about Gale and Johanna's sex life.

"Right. Anyway, we were together for a little bit and that's when I learned about what she had gone through. I didn't know that it was at the hands of the gangs until recently. They made her their house whore, Kat. They beat and raped her. She was terrorized for six months before she managed to run away. They used her for bribery and blackmail against politicians to push the gang's agenda. She should have mentioned the gang threats earlier, but I'm asking you guys to give her a second chance. I know I have no right to ask you guys for anything after how I acted in the beginning, but I'm going to be obnoxious and ask you anyway. Johanna is like a pitbull, aggressive and confrontational on the outside, but she's just looking to be accepted. I spoke to her for awhile after you both left and she truly does regret her actions. We both do. So what do you guys say?"

The room was quiet while both Katniss and I took in everything Gale had told us. I knew that his speech couldn't have been easy for him to say and he had been thinking about it for awhile. I also knew that Johanna was a vey private person and it said a lot about her that she was not only able to apologize to us but she allowed Gale to tell us about her past. I shivered to think that the same could have happened to Katniss had she been given to someone else's keeping when she had been sold.

"Gale, of course. We appreciate the apology and the explanation. Tell Johanna there are no hard feelings."

"Thanks, man," Gale said. He seemed a little uncomfortable now that the moment was over. "We alright, Catnip?" Gale asked questioningly. When Katniss nodded her head Gale let out a relieved smile. "Okay, well, I said what I needed to say, so I'm gonna go to bed now. 'Night."

Gale gave me a hard pat on the shoulder and ruffled Katniss' hair in a sign of affection just as he left. Maybe I was still riding on my high from our month-long vacation or my good mood from our welcome home party, but Gale had started to grow on me. I might even say that a little part of me even liked the guy.

Katniss rested her head on my shoulder and I kissed her forehead as Rue and Prim came into the room. I had a strong feeling that the whole house had planned this series of apologies for us because they felt responsible for the attack in front of the safe house. I wanted to tell them that it wasn't their fault, but I figured I should at least hear them out first.

"I wanted to apologize to you both for not following the house rules and putting you guys in danger. It was irresponsible and I wish I could take it back," Rue said with a guilty look.

I didn't say anything. I just got up and gave Rue a hug. She looked truly sorry.

"We forgive you, Rue. Just please don't miss curfew again."

She laughed a little, clearly relieved. "I won't."

She gave a little wave goodnight and left the room as well. Now it was just us and Prim. My lovely little sister looked angelic in a short-sleeved blue sundress that brought out the sparkle in her eyes. She looked a little healthier than she had when we left, and for that I was thankful. She had been through enough.

"I can't really put into words what you have both done for me. You gave me everything and I selfishly hurt you… I promise to be better," she whispered quietly. Her sincerity touched my heart and I moved in to give her a big hug before giving Katniss a turn. The two sisters embraced each other strongly. Katniss gave Prim a little kiss on the head before moving to sit back down together on the couch and talk.

It was well past midnight by the time we were able to get some real answers about all that had changed over the past month, but over a plate of chocolate chip cookies and milk Prim finally filled us in.

"After you guys left it sort of turned into an us versus them in the house. It was like there were two different houses. Damien, Thresh, and Finnick all but refused to speak to us until we worked out exactly who was responsible for what. They exhausted themselves every day fixing the community and running the gangs out of town. I couldn't even look at Jo for the first week that you both left I had been so mad at her for not warning us. I got sad again from having no one to turn to. I know I should have told you both, but I had taken off the drug patch they had given me at the hospital so I wasn't medicated at the time. I also never called the therapist, I just pretended to. When you drove me to the city that one time I just hid in a coat closet for an hour instead of going into her office."

Katniss' eyes went wide and her nostrils flared at Prim's admission. I wasn't happy about this little fact either, but held Katniss back to let Prim say her peace.

"Anyway, Jo knew I had gone off the medicines so she was the one who found me and talked some sense into me. We had a big fight. We threw things at each other, called each other names, but at the end of it I was able to admit that I did need help and Annie ordered me oral medication so they could track my medications manually. Jo talked to me about her past and got me talking about Rory and everything I was feeling. We became…friends, I guess. After that we were able to admit that we were all responsible in compromising the security system the day of the attack, so we planned out the apology."

"And now you're feeling good? The medication helps?" Katniss asked her. Prim gave a small smile and a nod. "And the therapist? Have you called her?" Prim blushed and gave Katniss a guilty look. "Please, Katniss, I don't want to talk to a stranger." Katniss gave a sigh of exasperation and looked at me to step in.

"We'll talk about that more later. Nothing needs to be decided tonight. For now, tell us how you've been. Are you happy?" I asked, trying to ease away from an argument; after all, we had just gotten home.

"I'm not happy per say…but I'm not sad and that's a really big improvement." I nodded at her words as I remembered a time when not being sad was a big accomplishment. That was before Katniss, of course.

"So what happened with Zeyer?" I asked innocently. Apparently I had missed something, though, because Prim blushed intensely and her face imitated the same scowl I had seen Katniss use so often when she was uncomfortable.

"Nothing. Absolutely nothing," she said curtly. I looked at Katniss out of the corner of my eye to see if she was as surprised by Prim's reaction as I was. There was definitely a story there.

"It's late. We should get to bed. I'm glad you're getting back on track, little duck, I've missed you so much," Katniss said as she got up and gave Prim a hug. Apparently we were going to be avoiding the Zeyer conversation for the time being. I followed Katniss' lead and gave Prim a hug goodnight. As we walked down the hall to our room I whispered quickly to Katniss, "What was that all about?"

"I don't know but you can bet I'm going to find out." She whispered back.

The next morning we walked outside hand-in-hand, ready to face the world regardless of what it was about to throw our way. Last night had been good for both Katniss and me. We were both taken aback by the apologies but the sense of relief it left in the house was a welcome change. When Katniss squeezed my hand I knew she felt that way too.

Finnick and Annie had assured us that there was nothing to be worried about as they, Thresh, and Damien flanked us on our walk to the community. Rue was staying behind with Hope and little Finnie while we went to go see the changes that had apparently taken place over the past month. When we got to the clearing just before the entrance to the community a cluster of familiar faces greeted us. Gale was holding Johanna's hand while Prim stood on the opposite side of them.

"Alright, now that we're done with all the heart-to-hearts we really want to show you the community," Gale said looking excited.

I had to admit I was definitely more then a little excited, too.

Katniss' Pov

My heart was beating fast even though we walked slowly. When Peeta put his hand out to move the low hanging leaves of the weeping myrtle that would reveal the path into the community my heart stopped. What would I find in a few more steps?

I didn't have to wait long to find out. In the month we had been gone it was as though the community had transformed. Gone were the sad and broken refugees I had seen walking around. Instead there was activity. People bustled along the dirt roads with different wares in their hands to sell. The roads had been lined with pavers and landscaped with bright colored flowers. Small houses and shops had appeared on the road with a sign on the corner that read Main Street. Each shop had a different name: there was "Martha's Meats and Poultry," "The Yellow Lemon Fragrance Shop," and even a "Task Master Trading Post: For when you just need a lending hand."

In our absence the people had taken a bare outpost and made it a town. The Town Hall had been painted and an American Flag now hung proudly from its post. There were clothing shops, general stores, fruit stalls, and a booth for land loan information. The changes were outstanding, but what caught my breath was the moment I stood in front of the Town Hall sign, which read "Welcome to Hope Haven: The Town for Second Chances." I was floored, speechless, and overcome with emotion at seeing the transformation that had occurred in our absence. Just when we had given up on being able to make a difference in the lives of these people, they had decided to make a difference in their own lives.

"What? I…I don't understand. How is this even possible?" I said, flabbergasted at the sight before my eyes. Peeta was quietly chuckling in disbelief. His face held the same wide-eyed expression I'm sure must have been written on mine.

"Well, turns out questioning Zeyer went a long way in eradicating our little mob problem. The sheer number of members who were active in the gangs was astounding. The night after you two left we called another town hall meeting and announced that all gangs were no longer welcome and if someone was found to be affiliated with a gang we would be forced to turn them over to the American police as we could only assume they were responsible for the criminal acts that have been going on around the country. That week I would say about a hundred people cleared out of here. At first I thought that my little speech had worked and the gangs had decided to retreat, but Zeyer said that not only were Red Union members still in the camp but so were Tomahawks. Turns out, something like forty percent of all our refugees were affiliated with a gang."

"So we had to take action. We tried a bunch of different things. We raided the dormitories and managed to throw out another thirty people that way. We were able to really clean house, though, when we brought in some police officers. That's when our threats were taken seriously. Turns out neither gang leader wanted the cops too close to their people. Both leaders sent out a message that all members were to retreat to headquarters and abandon the community for the time being. After that, the camp cleared out another one hundred and fifty people. The next morning we went on one last surprise search of the area, combed the woods, tore up the floorboards, and we didn't find any additional signs of gang activity anywhere. It took us a total of two weeks to get them all out and another two to be sure they really left. I'll tell you this much, though, if there are any gang members left in camp they are lying extremely low."

"Regardless, the security measures will still apply and we've added additional ones while you were away. Everyone will now be getting a shocker to carry around at all times and no one ever goes into the community alone. We also installed a gate that's locked and monitor protected that closes off the community from our area. Most of them already knew the general location so we didn't feel we were giving anything up. It's an invisible fencing technology around our mountain so if anyone is snooping around we'll know about it before they ever reach us. "

"As we were cleaning up shop, it seemed that the refugees had some ideas of their own on how to really take this place and start again. We now have weekly town meetings where everyone can bring grievances and since then things have gone much smoother. The refugees asked to be called citizens and wanted to elect their own officials and a neighborhood watch. We now have a constable, a night patrol group, and a citizens council made up of fifteen voted in officials. They've so far done a great job getting things on track the way we all wanted them."

"People started to apply for land grants and small business loans. Turns out they were excited to move on with their lives and many of them really had come to the community to find peace. We trusted them, and this was the result. Shopkeepers, artisans, volunteer nurses, fireman, constables, it's really remarkable what the people have done. There are also plans for people to move out of the dormitories and build their own little farms and orchards on the border. They set up specialized construction teams and everything. There's even talk of making a new currency so they'll have a means to trade by. Oh and one more thing, they wanted to name the community, make it a real town, you know, somewhere to call their own. So after a heated town hall we finally came up with a name. Peet, Katniss, I know you saw the sign, but on behalf of all of us I wanted to welcome you both to Hope Haven," Finnick said with a wicked grin that showed off exactly how he felt about this entire thing.

They had accomplished all that in a month? I had thousands of questions swirling through my mind as I thought of all the changes that had been made in the short time I had been away. Before I was able to put any of them into words Peeta asked one of his own.

"Hope Haven? You can't tell me it's a coincidence?" Peeta questioned.

We had never told anyone outside of the family about Hope, so the fact that her name was written prominently across the Town Hall her parents had built could not be just a strange coincidence.

"Really? Really? Finnick shows you all this and that's the first question you ask?" Gale said with a smirk. "Anyway it was Prim's suggestion."

"They were insistent that the community, I mean town, have a name. They were all arguing about making sure it reflected the faith and confidence they shared about the future and that it showed that the place was an asylum from persecution, a place of peace. I just put it all together for them," Prim said with a little smile. "Besides, eventually Hope will get a huge kick out of knowing the village was named for her." I grabbed my little sister and hugged her again quickly.

"Come on, I want to take you guys to lunch. A refugee from twelve opened up Little Sae's Café and it has a delicious squirrel stew that I swear tastes just like home."

It did taste just like home, and each savory bite reminded me of my nostalgia for the past, my peace in the present and my excitement for the future.


End file.
